Andrei Markov’s fifth contract with the Montreal Canadiens is coming to an end, and that would leave him as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season at the age of 38.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 entry draft, he is one of but a handful of players remaining active in the NHL from that draft class, alongside Francois Beauchemin, Mike Fisher, Brian Gionta, and Chris Neil.
The 1998 draft was the first for the new head of recruitment for the Canadiens (and current Ottawa Senators general manager) Pierre Dorion.