Skating, physical play the name of Romanov’s game
Chris Wideman paused at the simplest of questions: Does Alexander Romanov go by his full name or just Alex? It turns out, Romanov is so easygoing that Wideman — who played over 215 minutes alongside him in Montreal last season — wasn’t sure.
The newest Islanders defenseman goes by Rommy in the locker room. His wife calls him Sasha. Alex works. So does Alexander. Whatever you go with, Romanov was a popular figure in the Canadiens’ dressing room last season.
“He’s a really good player,” Wideman told The Post. “He’s just extremely hard to play against. He threw a couple just insanely big hits and he’s strong, he’s really competitive and he works really, really hard at his game. He’s constantly watching his video and trying to work on things in practice. He’s out there like a half-hour before practice starts each day.
“He’s just one of those guys, they gotta basically drag him off the ice after practice.”
The Islanders are betting that Romanov, 22 and entering his third season in the NHL, fulfills every bit of his potential in New York. A giddy Lou Lamoriello cited Romanov’s competitiveness and room for growth in explaining the draftnight deal that saw the Islanders send the 13th pick to Montreal in exchange for Romanov and a fourth-round selection that became defenseman Isaiah George.
“It was not really a tough decision,” Lamoriello said on the draft floor.
Romanov led the Canadiens in even-strength minutes last season and played on the penalty kill. His 227 hits led the team by a wide margin, and his reputation is one of physicality and defense-first, with high-level skating as well.
“Just a fearless penalty killer,” Wideman said. “This guy was blocking — it didn’t matter who was shooting the puck, he can get in the lane. I found that he threw some of his biggest hits, actually, on the penalty kill when you’d get guys that were coming down the wing and almost be unsuspecting and then, boom, they’re looking up at the lights.”
Though the offensive side of things is certainly the biggest area in which Romanov’s game can grow — he had three goals and 10 assists last season — his skating could turn into the biggest area in
which he helps the Islanders. The simple act of transporting the puck up the ice became Sisyphean for the Islanders at times last season, as they were hampered by a lack of speed on the blue line and consistently struggled to complete zone entries.
Now, with a healthy Ryan Pulock and with Romanov slotted in next to Noah Dobson on the depth chart, that should be much less of an issue within the team’s top four.
“He’s a freak,” Wideman said of Romanov’s skating. “He’s a freak athlete. He’s a freak, strength, his flexibility. He would take two-minute shifts and come off, be ready to go again. He doesn’t get tired.”
The price to get him was not small. Not only did the Islanders give up a first-round pick, but they made it three straight years in which they haven’t drafted a player in the first round. There is no other time in franchise history when they’ve gone even two straight years without a firstround selection. Though players like Aatu Raty and William Dufour have shown encouraging signs, their system is largely depleted.
Romanov’s youth helps matters, but make no mistake: This trade was a bet on now — an attempt to seize a moment that might be fading after the Islanders failed to make the playoffs last season. A repeat would be nothing short of a disaster.
“We’re happy with our group,” Lamoriello said the day prior to the draft. “It’s obvious. We are.”
Surely, he’s happier now.