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.