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Former Canadiens Defenseman Thinks Montreal Ends Cup Drought
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- Former Canadiens Defenseman Thinks Montreal Ends Cup Drought
Andrei Markov skating against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 25, 2017. Getty
The drought for a Canadian NHL team to win a Stanley Cup is coming up on 24 seasons. Well, that drought could end sooner rather than later.
Former NHL defenseman Andrei Markov confidently thinks it will be the Montreal Canadiens who end that infamous streak.
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Markov spoke with Sergey Demidov of RG.org to give his honest opinion of the matter. The root of Markov's belief comes from speaking with head coach Martin St. Louis during a visit last season.
"He said he really likes that the players listen, hear him, and want to get better," Markov said.
"So I think Montreal has a very promising team right now, and if nothing unexpected happens, they have good chances and a good future."
The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was Montreal, as they took down the Los Angeles Kings in 1993.
Over the last few years, it has been the Edmonton Oilers going toe-to-toe with th Florida Panthers , but they fell short of ending what feels like a long-time curse that won't end.
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"I really hope it will be Montreal," Markov said. "In recent years, Edmonton had a big chance, but they didn't use it. Right now I would probably bet on Montreal."
Right pieces to win Stanley Cup in Montreal
The Canadiens made it to the Eastern Conference Final this spring, but lost in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes .
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki was a force on offense. He put up 16 points in 19 games and on the blue line, Montreal got help there too from a budding star.
Lane Hutson dropped 16 points in 19 games, just as Montreal's captain did, as he got his first taste of what the postseason is like in the NHL.
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Cole Caufield is an encouraging player for the Canadiens to rely on too, but in the Eastern Conference Final, he only had 4 points. Last regular season, the Mosinee, Wisconsin native goal scorer found the back of the net 51 times.
The last person to hit the 50-goal milestone was Stéphane Richer, who scored 51 goals during the 1989–90 season. Caufield will look to replicate that as Montreal wants more chances to win the Stanley Cup.
He did have a strong campaign, but in the playoffs, when it mattered most, the goal-scoring touch faded for the forward.
Markov excited by Montreal's budding talent
Ivan Demidov and Hutson have been exciting to watch through the lens of Canadiens fans. As they activate off the blue line or half wall to generate points, Montreal has a lot of promising years ahead should they keep that performance up consistently.
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Markov told Sergey Demidov that he has kept a close eye on fellow Russian countryman Ivan Demidov.
"I'm truly happy for him," Markov said. "He spends a lot of time with the team; he trains. Between seasons, he stays in Montreal and talks with the young guys. They have such a young, close team, and I hope it will show even more."
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky has been coming along too. The former first overall pick in 2022 had 73 points in 82 games last season.
Slafkovsky had a career year with 30 goals and 43 assists, and that kind of production has Montreal and Markov excited.
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"You can see that now he feels more confident and shows the hockey people expected from him," he said. "After he settled in, everything got better."
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
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