You do not usually find cornerstone pieces of your franchise in the later rounds of the draft, but the Montreal Canadiens found the face of their blueline for over a decade in the sixth round of the 1998 NHL draft. When you mention the name Andrei Markov around Montreal, people will tell you he was one of the more underrated defencemen of his generation. He could log big minutes, play in all scenarios, and was one of the best power-play generals of his generation.
When you take a player 162nd overall, expectations are not high. You just hope they can eventually crack the roster. When the Canadiens drafted Markov, he was a relatively unknown prospect. However, in the two years that followed, he quickly made a name for himself in Russia. In the two years after his draft, Markov recorded 21 goals and 44 points in 67 games with Dynamo Moscow, quickly becoming one of the best defencemen in the KHL.
Markov made the switch to the NHL in 2000, splitting time between the Canadiens and the Quebec Citadelles, Montreal's AHL affiliate at the time. In 63 games with the Canadiens in his rookie season, Markov put up respectable numbers, recording six goals and 23 points. It was clear he was talented at moving the puck and creating offensive chances, but he needed to improve his defensive game if he wanted to be a regular in the Canadiens' lineup.
If there is one thing you should know about Markov, it is that you should never doubt him. It did not take long for him to round out his game, and by his third season with the Canadiens, he was already on his way to becoming their number one defenceman. After averaging 17 minutes of ice time in his first two seasons, his ice time jumped to just over 23 minutes a game, which was second on the team behind Patrice Brisebois. Markov, who was just a sixth-round pick just five years earlier, had already established himself as a top-pairing defenceman, a spot he would not relinquish for the rest of his career.
The Russian defenceman's best season came in the 2008-09 season, where he finished with 12 goals and 64 points in 78 games. He was second in points for a defenceman behind Mike Green, and finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting that season. Markov was not the flashiest, but was as consistent as they come. You could count on him to get 40-50 points a season, while averaging 23 minutes a night. There was no more underappreciated defenceman than Markov during the time he played.
Le but du jour remonte à une soirée de 3 points d’Andrei Markov, dans une victoire de 3-1, il y a 3 ans.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 25, 2020
Today's daily goal comes from Andrei Markov's 3-point night, in a 3-1 win, 3 years ago today.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/wmxIyvKq7G
Going back to the part about Markov being a player you should not doubt, that started to come into question from 2010 to 2012. Markov suffered multiple devastating knee injuries, tearing his ACL twice, sidelining him for nearly two years. People started to wonder if he would ever be the same or if he would even play again. Those questions were quickly put to rest when he came back in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, scoring an astonishing 10 goals and 30 points in 43 games. Markov may have been a slower skater, but he was still effective as ever with the puck on his stick.
Markov garnered a reputation in Montreal that it did not matter who his defensive partner was. He would make them better. If you wanted a big contract, all you had to do was play alongside Markov, and he would get you paid, just ask Mike Komisarek, Sheldon Souray, and Mark Streit. They all signed monster contracts after having a career year playing alongside Markov, but were unable to replicate their numbers without him. To a lesser extent, the same could be said about PK Subban, who credits a lot of his success to playing and learning from Markov.
I spoke to Markov's old defence partner and wedding attendee P.K. Subban to get his reaction and this is what he said. pic.twitter.com/qCUgLmgVVw
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) July 28, 2017
Markov spent his entire 16-year NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring 119 goals and 572 points in 990 games while averaging 23 minutes a night. Not too shabby for a relatively unknown sixth-round draft pick coming out of Russia. Other players may have gotten more spotlight during his time in Montreal, but there was arguably no one more important to the Canadiens than Markov. Outside of Carey Price, there might not be anyone from that era more deserving of having their jersey retired by the Canadiens. A true Canadiens legend.