Lou Lamoriello announced Monday that Alexander Romanov may not be ready for the start of camp after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. The 23-year-old defencemen is coming off his first season in Long Island after recording two goals, 20 assists, 43 PIMs, and a +13 plus/minus through 76 games played. The islanders will be hoping to have him back for the start of the regular season at the latest.
Romanov has been out since April 1st due to an upper-body injury but is looking likely to rejoin the Islanders' lineup for Game 3 after taking part in their morning skate Friday. The 23-year-old bruising defensemen will make a welcome addition to New Yorks' back end as he had two goals, 20 assists, 100 SOG, 43 PIMs and a +13 plus/minus through 76 games during the regular season.
Romanov has been out since April 1st, and it's unclear when he might be available for post-season play. The 23-year-old blueliner will travel to Carolina but won't play in Game 1, so Samuel Bolduc is expected to suit up for his first career playoff game on Monday.
Romanov missed the Islanders' previous game due to an upper-body injury and is not considered day-to-day as he deals with the recent injury. The 23-year-old has two goals, 20 assists, 100 SOG, 43 PIMs and a +13 plus/minus through 76 games prior to the injury.
Romanov missed the Islanders' previous game due to personal reasons but will draw back into the lineup Thursday as they take on Vancouver. The 23-year-old hard hitting defensemen has a goal, 14 assists, 73 SOG, 31 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 53 games so far this season.
The Canadiens have been completely decimated by injuries and COVID-19 and will likely have to play with 11 forwards and five defensemen on Saturday.
Romanov will be a surprise scratch for Game 1 of the postseason, as the Canadiens go with Jon Merrill on the third pairing. In addition to Romanov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield will both be scratched as well.
The Canadiens have started a rotation on their third pair, so tonight Romanov will replace Victor Mete and skate with Brett Kulak. After a hot start to the season, Romanov has been held pointless in his last six games.
Romanov was selected in the second-round (No.38 overall) in 2018 and is expected to make the leap into the NHL in 2020-21. The 20-year-old Russian blueliner has spent the last two seasons in the KHL, where he's played a limited role and tallied just 11 points (1G / 10A) in a combined 86 games for CSKA Moscow. However, while playing against players his own age in the 2019 and 2020 World Juniors, Romanov had two goals and 12 assists (14 points) in 14 games. Due to the current pause of the NHL season, the start date of the contract has yet to be determined.
