Andrei Markov registered an assist in Saturday's contest after missing 483 long days. "It was awesome," shared Markov, whose 17:08 of ice time was the third-highest among Habs defensemen in the outing. "Definitely it's going to take some time but I feel pretty good out there. I just need a little bit more time to [adapt to] the speed of the game and to read the game. I felt good tonight and hopefully we're going to continue this way. I didn't play for almost two years. I missed the game and I just wanted to play and feel my conditioning and how my knee would react," he added. "I'm just happy to be here right now and I'm going to take it one game at a time." A year and a half of no game competition must be pretty tough to take for any athlete. That being said, if he's a free agent in your fantasy league, then he's still worth picking up.

The Montreal Canadiens have activated Andrei Markov. Markov played in just seven games last season and hasn't participated in a game in 2011-12. He is expected to return on Saturday after nearly 16 months on the sidelines. After that long of an absence, there's a good chance he'll need some time to shake off the rust. Unfortunately, there's only four weeks left in the regular season, so Markov doesn't have much time to get use to playing again. That being said, if he's a free agent in a standard fantasy league, then he's still worth picking up. In this case, the potential reward outweighs the risk.

Andrei Markov (knee) has been given the green light to participate in contact drills. That's a huge step forward to Markov and it opens the door to the possibility of him playing before the season ends. Markov hasn't played since Nov. 13, 2010, so we wouldn't expect big things from him if he does return. Still, it would be nice for him to make his return before he starts to prepare for the 2012-13 campaign.

It's been nearly 16 months since Andrei Markov lasted played in an NHL game. Markov has been sidelined since Nov. 13, 2010. "I feel better," Markov said. "It's not easy, believe me. I have no choice. I have to be patient. I knew it was going to be a tough recovery from the surgery. I was kind of ready for that. I just have to take it one day at a time." Markov has skated with the Canadiens recently, but his return doesn't appear to be imminent.

Andrei Markov (knee) was on the ice with the Canadiens Friday morning. Markov was sporting a no-contact jersey. He is still hoping to play before the end of the season, but beyond that there's no timetable. He hasn't played in 2011-12 and he only participated in seven games in 2010-11.

Andrei Markov (knee) is expected to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip this week. The Canadiens host Dallas on Wednesday before starting a three-game trip in Washington on Friday. "He hasn't been cleared for contact, but when you see him getting some contact, you'll know he's close," coach Randy Cunneyworth said.

Andrei Markov skated for another 40 minutes on Wednesday before practice, as he continues to recovery from a knee injury. He attempted to push his knee a little more in the session than he did on Tuesday by working on his turns and he appeared to be alright with the change. It's still unclear when he will be available to play again though.

Andrei Markov (knee) skated for 39 minutes Saturday morning. Markov has skated for at least 15 minutes every day since Wednesday. We still wouldn't rule out the possibility of Markov missing the remainder of the season, but at least we're more optimistic about him than we've been in a while.

Andrei Markov (knee) skated by himself for 15 minutes on Tuesday and he took to the ice again on Wednesday for 20 minutes. It's still unclear if Markov will be ready to return at all this season. The oft-injured blueliner hasn't appeared in an NHL game since Nov. 13 during the 2010-11 campaign.

Andrei Markov (knee) hasn't resumed skating. The only recent update we've gotten regarding Markov is a very generic statement that he's "making progress." Markov, who hasn't played since signing a three-year/$17.25 million contract, isn't expected to return anytime soon.