Markov In For Game 1?

Will Andrei Markov return for game 1 on Sunday?

Markov was out for the entire Penguins series with an injured knee. He did take part in Montreal's morning workout at Mellon Arena on Wednesday. Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin has not committed to the return of his impact defensemen, but it seems Markov is committed to play again in these playoffs.

Would he be effective?

Hal Gill, who suffered a cut on his leg in game 5, hobbled around and took penalties because he couldn't do the things he normally does on the ice. Would Markov be able to lead the defence to another series win, or would he have to take a back seat to Josh Gorges and P.K. Subban who were outstanding against the Penguins?

The best case scenario would probably see Markov return and play limited minutes until he can show he can handle a larger workload. Having Markov at less than 100% playing on the last defence pairing would be better than having Marc-Andre Bergeron back there. Bergeron can always take a wing on the 4th line and still get his powerplay time.