Rumor: Andrei Markov coming back to the NHL?

Well this is one rumor I must admit I never expected to see cropping up.

It has now been two full seasons since former National Hockey League defenseman Andrei Markov has played in an NHL game and, given the circumstances under which he left the league, I never expected to see him play in a single NHL game ever again. In fact if I was a betting man I would put my money on the fact that we will never see Andrei Markov in an NHL game again, at least not as an active player, but there is now talk that Markov could return to finish his professional career in the NHL.

A report earlier today from Kontinetal Hockey League reporter Aivis Kalnins of Hockey Buzz is now reporting that Markov and Kazan Ak-Bars will be parting ways once the Kontinental Hockey League enters it's free agency period in the coming days. This is a big deal as Kazan Ak-Bars is the team that Markov left the NHL to play for, making him a free agent for the first time since he left North America. Kalnins has speculated that this could open the door to a return to the NHL for Markov.

"It's believed that Andrei Markov and AkBars are parting ways," wrote Kalnins. "A huge rebuild coming up for Kazan team. Wonder if that opens the door for a potential attempt to return to the NHL."

Now I will be perfectly honest here, Markov is 40 years old and was already showing signs of decline when he last played in the NHL. The past two seasons in the KHL have followed a similar trajectory with his biggest step back coming this season, and I would be hard pressed to see an NHL team taking a gamble on him at this stage of his career. That being said there may be one notable exception, and this may be the fuel for Kalnins speculation.

Last season the Montreal Canadiens brought back forward Tomas Plekanec effectively to allow him to end his career in Montreal and to let him hit a major career milestone of 1000 NHL games. Well Andrei Markov is just 10 games away from hitting 1000 games and all of those 990 games have come as a member of the Montreal Canadiens no less. Markov and the Habs reportedly did not end on the best of terms, and this certainly could be a way to allow him to end his career on his own terms. Whether or not his level of play at this stage warrants even that much, especially on a relatively young team like the Habs who had an unexpectedly solid season, is another matter entirely. 

There were reports as far back as March however that suggested Markov would attempt a return to the NHL, so only time will tell.