Editorial – Early Christmas Gift

It might be too early to say, but Andrei Markov is close to returning. The Habs are reporting that Markov is days away from getting approval to begin contact drills, which will eventually lead to his early return to the lineup. Markov was expected to be out until early February 2010, however, there were grumblings that he would return in early January instead, to be able to participate in the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

This news comes as a big surprise to those that expected Markov to be out beyond the calendar year. Markov is a stud defenseman from a fantasy perspective and he will have a strong impact to the Habs lineup if and when he returns at full strength. Markov has been missed thus far as he not only is the quarterback of the power play, but he is a quiet leader in the dressing well and eats up a ton of minutes as a top tier defenseman.

If all goes well, Markov could be playing later this week. If that is the case, the Habs may become a contender again in the Northeast Division and in the Eastern Conference. The team has received some solid goaltending of late and the top line of Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, and Mike Cammalleri has played very strong.

If Markov can bring further stability on the back end while providing an offensive burst from the blue line, this team could start beginning to take hold of the division moving forward. Markov could be the added push the Habs need to solidify their position in the playoff race and changes the perspective GM Bob Gainey will have on this 2009-10 squad.

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Tags: Andrei Kostitsyn, Andrei Markov, Bob Gainey, Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec