The Montreal Canadiens allowed a pair of Russians to walk two years ago. Andrei Markov and Alex Radulov became free agents following a successful regular season. Markov ended up back in Russia, and Radulov headed to Texas to suit up for the Dallas Stars.
It was an odd summer of moves for the Canadiens. Karl Alzner was later signed to a huge contract that he will likely be bought out from. Top prospect Mikhail Sergachev was dealt to a division rival. Nathan Beaulieu and Alexei Emelin also left town with little in return.