On July 7, 2022, news broke at the NHL Draft of the Montreal Canadiens trading defenseman Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall selection to the New York Islanders for the 13th overall pick. It was then announced the Canadiens would be flipping the 13th overall selection and the 66th overall selection to the Chicago Blackhawks for former third overall pick, Kirby Dach. Now two years later we have a better idea who came out on top of the blockbuster deals.
New York Islanders: A-
At the time, the Islanders desperately needed a top-four, left-handed defenseman to play alongside Noah Dobson. Andy Greene and Zdeno Chara were Dobson’s most popular linemates, and they were not going to cut it. Sebastian Aho showed promise as a puck-carrying, strong skating option but that would have made a potential pairing with Dobson too offensively-oriented. So, the Islanders went out and acquired Romanov, a name that was not heavily speculated to be traded.
Related: Revisiting the Islanders and Canucks Bo Horvat Trade 1 Year Later
At the time, Romanov was a 22-year-old, pending restricted free agent who was expected to fit the Canadiens’ timeline well. They did not have much youth on the blue line so elevating Romanov into a prominent role would have made sense. However, they decided to move him, allowing the Islanders to add a much-needed young, defensive defenseman to an aging defensive core. Chara and Greene did not return to the Islanders the following season, marking a shift from veterans to youth in the Islanders’ defense.
Since being acquired, Romanov has been of tremendous value to the Islanders’ defense. He signed a three-year, $2.5 million average annual value (AAV) contract and has missed just seven regular season games. He spent his first season splitting time between Mayfield and Dobson before playing primarily with Dobson this past season. He underwhelmed to begin his Islanders tenure, but has since played a pivotal role in their injury-riddled defensive core.
In the 2023-24 season during the December to January stretch, while Pulock and Mayfield were injured, Romanov was playing north of 24 minutes in many games. He would double shift on the penalty kill and play crunch time to finish out games. While he was clearly exhausted to finish the season, the value he brought to the Islanders has been invaluable. He is not the flashy player fans hope to acquire in a trade, but he has done his…
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