Bob McManaman

A collective hush fell over the Coyotes last March when defenseman Danny Markov suffered a broken bone in his left ankle.

"Yeah, you could actually hear yourself think in the locker room," fellow blueliner Todd Simpson said. "It was quiet for once without Danny being around, yapping all the time like he does."

The chatty and effervescent Markov has a knack for brightening up any room he enters. It's just his fun-loving nature. Still, the 26-year-old Russian can be a bit spacey, which is why his teammates call him "Sputnik."

They missed him after his season-ending injury, when he slammed feet-first into the boards chasing a loose puck with Bryan Smolinski of the Los Angeles Kings.

Markov was tied for 15th in the NHL in scoring among defensemen with 36 points. He ranked second on the Coyotes in assists (30), hits (208) and ice time (22:54). He was leading Phoenix in power-play points (19) and power-play assists (15).

Though the Coyotes finished strong without him, his absence was noticeable during a first-round playoff series loss to San Jose. That, along with the lack of a proven goal scorer and a hobbled Teppo Numminen were the three main reasons Phoenix didn't advance to the second round.

Markov is back, stronger than ever; the Coyotes addressed their scoring concerns by signing free-agent right wing Tony Amonte to a four-year deal; and Numminen, who had a bursa sac removed from his injured left foot, is set to skate today for the first time in training camp.

"It's a good feeling now, for sure. I feel like part of the team again," said Markov, obtained from Toronto in June 2001 for Travis Green, Robert Reichel and minor leaguer Craig Mills. "This is important for me, for my confidence, to be here at training camp and do the things I need to do. Most of this summer, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't skate, and I couldn't even walk very well."

It was four months before he tried to take his first spin on the ice. It ended up being a spill, instead.

"It was kind of funny, really," he said. "My first step, I fell. I fell straight to the ice. I realized it wasn't going to be easy."

But legs got stronger. His ankle recovered. In fact, it's impossible to tell he was ever hurt, watching him fly around the rink at the Alltel Ice Den. He was his old self, crashing into bodies, yapping up a storm, and slamming pucks into the net with his hard, heavy slap shot.

"It's great to see Danny back," coach Bobby Francis said.

"Sometimes, you want him not to play exactly the way he plays during the season (with a fearless and reckless style), but he can't help it. That energy and the enthusiasm are contagious. He just loves to play. He has a passion for the game, and it shows every single day."

Sometimes, Markov's mouth can get him into trouble. During the Olympics, he was suspended from Russia's bronze-medal match for abusive language and making an obscene gesture to referee Bill McCreary.

"That's another thing the league addressed, in addition to cracking down on all the interference and obstruction calls this season," Francis said. "They're not going to take anything from the players this season. They're going to start handing out two-minute minors.

"I don't see how Danny can get penalized for that, though, because no one can ever understand what the heck he's saying."

After setting career highs in goals (6), assists (30), points (36), games played (72) and penalty minutes (67), Markov hopes to have even more to talk about this season.

"You always want to get better, to improve. We all do," he said.

"I think all of us are going to have good years. Everybody's on the same page here. Everybody has new contracts and is happy."

Markov, though, is in the final year of his deal and he's only the fifth-highest paid defenseman on the team. But there is word management has approached him about a new, multiyear contract.

"I can't say a thing. It is secret," Markov said, smiling. "My mouth is sealed."

That might be a first.