Romanov Ready to Go with Islanders

Alexander Romanov is ready to go.
The 22-year-old defenseman has already arrived on Long Island and eager to get his season started after being
acquired by the Islanders
during a draft day trade in July and
inking a three-year deal on Monday
.
"I'm so excited to be here. And I'm already on Long Island and getting ready for the season," Romanov said. "I am ready to play right now honestly."

Romanov said he was surprised to be traded from Montreal over the summer. The Canadiens' 2018 second-round pick had taken a big stride in his development. Romanov averaged over 20 minutes per game and his 227 hits and 144 blocks were both 19th in the league last season. Romanov's availability also came as a bit of a surprise to the Islanders, as President and GM Lou Lamoriello said he didn't enter the draft with the intention of moving the 13th overall pick, but felt that Romanov was
an upgrade to an already talented d corps
.

His physical and defensively minded play will help the Islanders fill the void left by Andy Greene and Zdeno Chara's departures, but Romanov said there is more to his game.
"I would like to bring more offense right now because all offseason, I worked with the puck and with skills, because I want to improve my game with the puck honestly," Romanov said. "I also can play physical. I also can hit guys and start attacks, like breakouts. I want to play more in the offensive zone."
Romanov had 13 points (3G, 10A) last season for Montreal.
The Moscow native will have a familiar face in the Islanders locker room, as he played two seasons with Ilya Sorokin for CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
The duo won a Gagarin Cup together in 2019
and are close friends.
"He's one of my best friends right now," Romanov said. "We hang out at his house all day long. He's a good guy. I like playing with him. I already played with him two years in CSKA so that's why I know him so well."

Other Islanders may only know him by reputation or as an opponent. Noah Dobson praised Romanov's game when asked to speculate if he thinks they'd be a good fit together.
"He's a good skater," said Dobson. "He can be a good puck mover and I think some of those attributes are some of my strengths as well. So I think having those tools could work well, especially breaking pucks out in the transition and the offensive zone as well."
"I'm really excited that he's a part of our D core," Dobson added. "He's going to be a great addition and we're all really excited to have him."