If there's an absence of panic in the Canadiens camp after Andrei Markov was hurt again Saturday, it's with good reason.
Whether it's for three games, three weeks or three months, losing Markov doesn't signal imminent or even long-term disaster.
Markov was still playing himself into top form when he re-injured his knee against Carolina at the Bell Center, and the Canadiens are riding high anyway.
The way Carey Price is playing, it wouldn't matter if Andrea Bocelli was manning the blue line, but above and beyond Price's excellence, there's depth and stability in the defence corps that softens the blow of a long-term injury, even to a player of Markov's calibre.
Jaroslav Spacek, whom the Canadiens were counting on to fill the void when Markov started the season on the sidelines, is coming around after playing like Sissy Spacek for most or all of October.
Josh Gorges, Hal Gill and Roman Hamrlik are all solid veterans who make up in poise and experience what they lack in razzle-dazzle -- a department being more than capably handled by rookie sensation P.K. Subban, who's already at least Markov's equal as a puck-moving defenceman, and continues to make progress towards playing a more disciplined game without sacrificing intensity.
None of this is meant to denigrate Markov or what he means to the Canadiens.
Obviously, they're a better team with him than they are without him, but we've already seen that between terrific goaltending and depth and experience on the blue line, his loss is not insurmountable.
