MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced Thursday a four-year contract extension for defenseman Alexei Emelin (2014-15 to 2017-18).

“We are very happy to have secured a long term agreement with Alexei. He is an important part of our group of core players. He shows a very good work ethic and has a good attitude. He can play big minutes against the opponents’ best players, and hard-hitting defensemen of his type are hard to find. We are very confident that he will fully recover from his knee injury and be able to compete at a high level for many years to come” said Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin.

“I am very pleased to be a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization for the coming years. I love Montreal and I am confident that I will soon return to the ice fully recovered from my injury and contribute to the success of our team,” said Alexei Emelin.