It’s the end of an era: After sixteen years and nearly 1000 regular-season games with the Habs, Andrei Markov won’t be back next season. He’s heading back to Russia to play for the KHL, it seems.

Markov has spent his entire 16-year NHL career to date as a member of the Canadiens. Narrowly missing the 1,000-game milestone with 990 career games under his belt, the Russian rearguard sits sixth on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard for games played. He has also suited up for 89 postseason tilts during his time with the Habs.
Since making his NHL debut in 2000, Markov has racked up 572 regular-season points, including 119 goals. He finished his final Canadiens campaign tied with Hall-of-Famer Guy Lapointe for second place in team history for points by a defenseman, and is ranked third for goals from the back end.
Thanks for your years of playing your heart out for us, Andrei. You’ll be missed.