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It’s time for Marc Bergevin to correct one of the major gaffes during his tenure as the Canadiens’ general manager and bring back defenceman Andrei Markov.

Bergevin and Markov were locked in a bitter contract dispute two years ago. Markov, who has played his entire NHL career in a Canadiens uniform, was asking for a two-year contract. Bergevin felt a one-year deal was more appropriate, which was not an unreasonable stance because Markov was 38 years old.

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The dispute went on for weeks until Markov — who had shown his commitment to the Canadians by playing for the same US$5.775 million salary for a decade — finally agreed to accept a one-year deal.

Photo by John Kenney / Montreal Gazette

That’s where things fell apart. Having wrung one concession from Markov, Bergevin overplayed his hand by offering less money than was in his original offer. The one thing Bergevin didn’t count on was Markov’s pride. The same pride that made Markov one of the best defenceman in the NHL didn’t allow him to accept what he considered a lowball offer and he walked.