I have not watched markov at all since he left. When he did leave the NHL, he was still a pretty decent dman, and I think people are grossly exaggerating the idea that he was done at that point.
What is the opportunity cost of bring markov in at 1yr 2mil?
The contract is low money, low term, and the Habs have cap space.
Is chariot a LD? If so, he becomes a likely candidate to lose ice time in this scenario or be scratched completely. That would be poor optics given they just signed him to a number large enough that he shouldn't be a part time dman.
To me, it seems like a financial fit, but I don't see the roster fit, or an optical fit.
The timing of this news is also strange. I'm not sure how contracts work in the KHL, but it would have been best for both sides if the markov camp expressed their interest before July 1. It may not have made a difference, but there would be a better chance of this scenario at least being considered though.
The only scenario I see is if markov is comfortable being a spare part LD, who is often scratched. If there are no injuries, then it would be a real task getting him games at all. That's not great value for a 2 Mil player, and for a guy who has made a decent chunk of change, why would it entice him to come overseas for a marginal amount of money, and not be guaranteed playing time?
It just doesn't make sense to me. I'd love to see this on a sentimental level, but it doesn't add up.