See Alexander Romanov In Islanders Colours For The First Time

The former Montreal Canadiens defenceman put on his new colours for the first time earlier this week, hyping up Islanders fans for what’s to come.

The new New York islanders defenceman was seen sporting his new colours for the first time on the ice and it drew quite the reaction from both Islanders and Canadiens fans. Having returned to North America and ready to continue his off-season training, Romanov was taking to the ice to work on some of his skills in order to be better prepared for next season. The 22-year-old rearguard has a big year ahead of him with his new team, the New York Islanders, as they look to climb back into the playoff picture after a very disappointing start to their season last year.

First look at Alexander Romanov in blue and orange. 🤝🏻 pic.twitter.com/GWXzDZvZEK

— EVERYDAYISLES  (@EverydayIsles) July 26, 2022

The Montreal Canadiens made quite the splash at the 2022 NHL Draft when they traded Romanov. They started the process by moving Romanov and the 98th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the New York Islanders for their 13th overall pick. The Montreal Canadiens then turned around and flipped the 13th overall pick, along with the 66th overall pick, to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for hulking center Kirby Dach.

With the logjam coming on left-defence over the next couple of years with the likes of Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris and more; Alexander Romanov became an expendable asset. Although he was progressing nicely and could likely grow into a bonafide top-4 defenceman, that was very good value for the Canadiens to get on the restricted free agent who is looking for a new long-term deal.

Now he’ll be able to to pursue his career with the Islanders once he’s able to come to terms with them on a contract; likely in the next couple of weeks. Romanov will be looked to take a top-4 role on the Islanders’ defensive brigade next season, likely slotting next to Noah Dobson on the back end.