The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday that defenseman Alexander Romanov will miss the next 6-8 months. He tore his right ACL after missing 67 games last season.
Romanov is expected to be placed on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve in the coming days.
The New York Islanders said Romanov was injured in the third period of Tuesday’s 5-2 loss after an awkward collision with Mika Zibanejad. Furthermore, The Islanders defenseman did not play the final 12:04 of the game.
Romanov had a plus-2 rating through the first three games this season. The 26-year-old defenseman played just 15 games last season because of a shoulder injury.
This season will end on April 10, so Romanov, should he come back and play, wouldn’t be able to do so unless New York makes it to the postseason.
Romanov suffers his second long-term injury in as many seasons
The Moscow, Russia, native is coming off a shoulder injury last season, and now he has to sit out again.
Last fall, the defenseman was injured just 15 games into his season when the Islanders were playing against the Dallas Stars.
Romanov suffered a big hit from Stars forward Mikko Rantanen and was unable to finish the game. Rantanen was not suspended for the play. Meanwhile, the defenseman got the short end of the stick.
The NHL Department of Player Safety reviewed the play last season and opted to not dish out a fine or even suspend Rantanen for his play on Romanov.
From November on last year, Romanov had to undergo surgery and rehab before coming back to play this season. After an offseason of training, he’s now back on the shelf following Tuesday night’s game.
Future on Long Island for Alexander Romanov
Losing a player to injury is never a positive for any NHL club. However, the New York Islanders are committed to retaining the defenseman.
Last summer, General Manager Mathieu Darche made it clear the organization wants Romanov in its future. Darche and Romanov agreed to an 8-year, $50 million contract. This move will keep a piece of his lineup intact for years to come.
Darche was even okay with Dan Milstein, Romanov’s agent, adding a no-movement clause to the long-term contract.
That part of his contract doesn’t kick in until next summer, so if there’s a desire to move Romanov, Darche has until June 30.
Romanov’s NTC kicks in on July 1 next summer. It goes down to a 16-team no-trade list beginning on July 30, 2020. There hasn’t been any chatter or rumors about the Islanders thinking of trading the defenseman.
The way Darche mortgaged the future on Romanov, it does not seem like there will be any change of scenery for the D-man any time soon. He’ll rehab his knee injury and get back up to speed once again.
It’s a less-than-ideal situation for Romanov, but when he’s healthy, the Islanders have a solid two-way defenseman that can play stay-at-home defense in certain scenarios.
On a bright note for the Islanders, they could be getting captain Matthew Barzal soon. Additionally, defenseman Matthew Schaefer may go back to playing on his left side with Romanov sidelined for the regular season.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
New York Islanders Dealt Blow as Alexander Romanov Tears ACL