Canadiens Final Report Card: Andrei Markov

The Canadiens longest tenured player had one of his most trying seasons and age may have finally caught up with the Russian defender.

At 37 years of age, Andrei Markov just finished his 15th season in the National Hockey League. As the longest tenured Canadiens player, it should come as no surprise that Markov has quietly established himself as one of the best defenders in team history.

If it weren’t for 2 separate lockouts and a series of unfortunate leg injuries that cost him nearly 3 full seasons, Markov could very well rank among the greatest to have ever donned a Canadiens jersey. However, as a player in his late-30’s, father time has finally set in and Markov is trending on the downside of his great career.

Andrei Markov – Defenceman

Games Played: 82

Goals-Assists-Points: 5-39-44

More from A Winning Habit

It’s almost amazing to think that at one point, many believed Andrei Markov’s career was pretty well over. I include myself in that group as I just didn’t think that he would be able to come back from three pretty severe leg injuries that ended up costing him nearly 3 full seasons in his prime.

Lo and behold, Markov has proven everyone completely wrong and has rewarded the Canadiens handsomely for their loayalty. Since 2012, he has missed just two games total for the Canadiens. That’s pretty impressive even if you don’t factor in his previous injury issues. Not only has he played full seasons, he has played them at an elite level.

That is, until 2015-16, where time may have finally caught up with the Russian defender.

On the surface, Markov’s numbers fall in line with what he has been able to do through his entire career. The only notable differences in that regard are his 5 goals, which are a career low over a full season, and his 4.3% Shooting Percentage, also a career low.

All told, Markov posted 40+ points for 3rd straight season and 7th time in his career. He also began his ascent of the Canadiens career leader board and began cementing himself as a true Canadiens legend. By season’s end, Markov ranked 9th in Games Played, 8th in Assists and 9th in Power Play Goals among Canadiens’ players.

When you break it down by position, Markov’s resume reads even prettier. He currently ranks 2nd in Games Played, 3rd in Points, 3rd in Goals and 2nd in Assists among Canadiens defencemen. That’s very impressive when you consider that the Canadiens have had Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, Doug Harvey and many other great defencemen.

However, when you look past his surface stats and look at his play without the puck, you’ll notice a decline in Markov’s defensive game.

Markov’s defensive game has always been driven through his ability to gain and hold possession of the puck. 2014-15 saw Markov post a strong 4.0% Corsi Relative and that number fell off to -1.8% in 2015-16, which represented his lowest such total since 2007-08(the first year the stat was tracked).

Next: Canadiens Final Report Card: Brendan Gallagher

His Point Share rating also saw a steep decline. After back to back stellar seasons of 9.2 and 10.7 PS, Markov saw his 2015-16 rating drop to a still respectable 6.7. However, that number was aided heavily by his offensive PS rating, which still remained in his normal range. That 6.7 also represented his lowest full-season rating since 2003-04.

It’s Markov’s Defensive Point Share rating that causes concern as it dropped from 6.0 and 6.4 in the previous two seasons to “just” 3.7 last year. I put the ‘just’ in quotations as the 3.7 still represented the 2nd highest Defensive Point Share on the team behind P.K. Subban. The rating is still very respectable and is good for a 2nd pairing defender on a playoff team but is not nearly on the elite level it previously sat at.

Overall, Markov continued to remain an effective offensive producer but his defensive play saw a decline that could be a sign of things to come for the 37 year old.

Final Grade: B-

Home/Editorials