The New York Islanders announced the fate of Alexander Romanov this afternoon after a scary hit into the boards from Mikko Rantanen last Tuesday. The defenseman will have shoulder surgery and will be out 5-6 months. Based on the timeline, any return by season’s end would be favorable.
While the 25-year-old does not jump out on the stat sheet most games, Romanov brings a very steady defense-first game, usually playing north of 20 minutes a night, which earned him an eight-year deal last summer worth $6.25MM per season.
With the Islanders exceeding expectations greatly so far this season, on a nice 6-3-1 streak in their last ten games, good for third place in the Metropolitan, it is devastating news. New York has a steady core of veterans on the backend, along with the emergence of young superstar Matthew Schaefer who remarkably is already a major minute-eater at 18-years-old, but Romanov’s stay-at-home play will be difficult to replace. The team recalled Marshall Warren earlier in the week with Romanov landing on IR, but the hope then was certainly that Romanov’s season would not be in jeopardy.
New York hosts Seattle this evening, and eyes will be on GM Mathieu Darche if he is to make an addition at some point to fill for Romanov’s void. With Pavel Mintyukov’s name floating around lately, such a move could allow the Islanders to maintain their momentum while simultaneously getting younger on the back end. Regardless, it will be critical to protect Schaefer and continue to keep him in the right situations. For now, losing Romanov is an especially tough blow from an avoidable hit which immediately caught the attention of the league.