Kulak: 'The sky's the limit' for Romanov

MONTREAL - If anyone can attest to Alexander Romanov's standout performance over the last week, it's Brett Kulak.

Defensive partners since the start of training camp, Kulak already fully appreciates what the 21-year-old Russian brings to the table and he sees good things ahead for his rookie season in the NHL ranks.
"I think the sky's the limit with him. He's got all the tools," praised Kulak, following Monday's practice at the Bell Sports Complex. "He's a young defenseman with a lot of confidence. What I see in him is that he moves really well, he's a big strong guy, and he makes assertive plays. He's not on his heels ever and that's a big thing."

No doubt some of Romanov's confidence comes from the fact that he spent some quality development time with the Canadiens in the Toronto bubble, so he wasn't a stranger by any means when he arrived in Montreal for camp.
The former KHL standout, who was selected 38th overall in 2018, hit the ground running and immediately caught the attention of everyone around him with his composure and relentlessness at practice - and Kulak was no exception.
With that in mind, Kulak is adamant that Romanov's lack of NHL experience won't be an issue with respect to their effectiveness as a tandem.
"He's played professional hockey at a high level before and he's smart, and you can kind of get a good feel for him even just in practices and in the scrimmages," explained Kulak. "Like on Sunday night, the tempo is up in the scrimmage and he handled it fine. He's smart, he plays the game smart. We know we've got to come in and we've got to play hard and be on our toes right from the drop of the puck and go from there. But I think it'll be good. I think we'll do well."

The six-year veteran doesn't expect communicating with Romanov in the heat of the action to present a problem, either.
If there was a language barrier at one point in time between the two, it's essentially gone now after making a concerted effort to talk as much as possible during the on-ice sessions on the South Shore.
"It takes a little while. We've got to do a little extra communication, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I've noticed he's very vocal on the ice and it's easy to hear him. He calls for pucks and that's a huge thing. I know in practice we're working on that," mentioned Kulak. "We talk over the drills a little extra, talk over how things went, defending rushes and things like that. I'm actually really impressed with how well he picks things up and how good his English is. He does well."
On a personal note
Joining forces with Romanov isn't the only thing that has Kulak smiling these days.
He's also feeling confident in his own game after getting his first taste of NHL playoff action this past summer and collecting three assists in 10 games.
Playing in those contests taught him some valuable lessons that will serve him well down the road.
"With playoff hockey, the game gets simple and it gets harder and it gets a little quicker and a little grittier. Those are some things I took from there. I simplified my game," explained Kulak, who averaged 18:33 of ice time per outing in the bubble. "I made the quick, easy first play and it slowed the game down a little bit for me and made things easier. I was able to have success and I'm looking to build off that."

And come Wednesday night in Toronto, he'll be ready to rock against the Maple Leafs.
"Even with the short camp, I feel really prepared for the season and know my role well with the D corps and among the team," concluded Kulak. "I'm excited to get things going and I'm loving playing with Romy."