In the wake of Andrei Markov's devastating injury, his fourth major one in the last three seasons, it seems qualified to question his future with the Canadiens. Markov is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July, and it's becoming harder to deny the team has developed an identity without him.

Bob Gainey's mass overhaul reversed the team's fortunes when competing without Markov at their disposal. The Habs record without Markov this season is 10-4-1, having gone 14-20-3 in the 37 games he missed last season. While some will point to their record being a combined 24-24-4, there's a clear progression there, and certainly one from their 6-19-2 record previous to Gainey's tinkering.

Markov's missed 52 of the Canadiens 104 games since the start of last season. He missed 11 of the 19 playoff games the team played last year. His injuries kept him from large portions of the magic of last season, and he's relatively disassociated from the Canadiens' current 14-7-1 standing.

With Josh Gorges, Roman Hamrlik and Hal Gill completing the final seasons of their respective contracts, Markov was deemed top signing priority ahead of his miraculous, early return from off-season surgery. That may still be the case when all is said and done, considering his pedigree as one of the league's top defencemen, his loyalty to the Canadiens and his decision to become a Canadian citizen.

Consider the Canadiens' dominance on the powerplay since the lockout (top 5 finishes in all but one season), the only constant has been Markov . He was the catalyst to Sheldon Souray and Mark Streit cashing in on lucrative deals through unrestricted free agency. He made a worn-down Mathieu Schneider look like a powerplay star, and helped Marc-Andre Bergeron extend his career.

At even strength, he helped price Mike Komisarek out of Montreal.

But doesn't it seem odd to refer to the longest tenured Canadien as the equivalent of a "deadline acquisition" if he's able to return at some point this season?

I wouldn't suggest Markov isn't part of the fabric of this edition of the Montreal Canadiens, but a future without him has become plausible, whereas beforehand it was a nightmare Canadiens fans feared.

Does the prospect of capspace, and improving the club in other areas at the behest of signing Markov seem more attractive to the Canadiens? You could argue it has everything to do with Markov's undetermined injury status and his ability to rehabilitate from another major operation. But, recognize that the team's standing without has bearing on the decision.