MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced Monday that the team has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with defenseman Andrei Markov (2014-15 to 2016-17).

“We are very happy to have secured a long term agreement with Andrei. He is an important part of our group of core players. He is healthy, shows a very good work ethic and has great leadership skills. He plays big minutes against the top opponents, and game-changing defensemen of his calibre are hard to find” 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 very confident in our group of players. I want to contribute to the success of our team,” said Andrei Markov.