Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov was a staple of the team’s blue line for 16 seasons before being unceremoniously dumped by GM Marc Bergevin this past offseason.
According to Markov, he was disrespected by Bergevin and the Canadiens. In an interview with Jonathan Bernier of Le Journal de Montreal, Markov laid it all on the line. “As an athlete and as a person who spent 16 years of their life in Montreal, I’d have liked it if they had respected me,” said Markov. “That’s all I was asking for from the team.”
“I’m going to be honest with you,” added Markov. “There was practically no negotiations with Montreal. I got two or three offers from them and they said, ‘Either you sign or you don’t sign.’
“No one listened to me and no one wanted to listen to me. That’s what happened. So I had the choice to sign on their terms or to leave and find a new team,” says Markov. And that’s exactly what he did, signing a two-year deal with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan.
Still… is there a chance that the 38 year-old makes a return to the NHL? “Maybe that will happen at some point, but not at the moment.”