The Montreal Canadiens announced Thursday the signing of defenceman Andrei Markov to a two-year contract.
Markov will earn $1.5 million in 2005-06 and $2 million in 2006-07.
Markov, 26, will begin his fifth season in the Canadiens uniform. In 2004-05, he registered 23 points in 42 games (7 goals, 16 assists) with the Moscow Dynamo in the Russian League. He scored two goals in 10 playoff games, leading the Dynamo to the league's playoff championship.
Markov played in 69 games with the Canadiens in 2003-04, and registered 28 points (6 goals, 22 assists). He played in 267 career regular season games in the NHL, and totalled 112 points (30 goals, 82 assists) and 96 penalty minutes.
Markov was a Canadiens' sixth round pick, 162nd overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft