EAST MEADOW, N.Y. -- Alexander Romanov may not be ready for the start of New York Islanders training camp, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Monday.
Romanov had shoulder surgery shortly after the Islanders were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round on April 28.
The 23-year-old defenseman missed the final five games of the regular season and the first two games of the playoffs because of an upper-body injury. He returned for Game 3 against the Hurricanes but did not have a point in four games.
"It'll be close," Lamoriello said. "If he's not (ready for the start of camp), it'll be close. He's skating. He's doing everything. We will be as cautious as we possibly can. If it was up to him, he'd play with two broken legs."
Romanov had 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) in 76 regular-season games and was second on the Islanders in hits (198) and blocked shots (129) last season, his first with New York after being acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on July 7, 2022, for a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Lamoriello also said forward Zach Parise, an unrestricted free agent who played the past two seasons with the Islanders, would not attend training camp. The 39-year-old said May 1 that he would either play for the Islanders or retire.
