New York Islanders’ Alexander Romanov could miss start of training camp
New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov may miss the start of training camp, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello announced earlier today.
Alexander Romanov may not be ready for the start of Islanders training camp following offseason shoulder surgery.
But the defenseman is progressing and expected to return soon, per GM Lou Lamoriello.https://t.co/P2w7lLMAaY
The 23-year-old defenseman didn’t participate in the regular season’s final five outings and the playoffs’ first two games due to an upper-body injury. Romanov did return for Game 3 against the Hurricanes but didn’t register a point in four games.
The injury initially occurred during a matchup while taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning near the end of the campaign. Lightning forward Cory Perry wrestled Romanov to the ice, causing the injury.
It was later revealed that Romanov had been dealing with a shoulder injury once the Islanders playoff run had concluded. The young defenseman had surgery shortly after the Islanders were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first round on April 28.
“It’ll be close, if he’s not (ready for the start of camp), it’ll be close,” Lamoriello told the media on Monday. “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 was acquired by the Islanders for a first-round pick (2022) in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on July 7, 2022. Since joining the Islanders, Romanov has scored two goals and added 20 assists for a total of 22 points in 76 regular season games. He was also second on the Islanders in hits (198) and blocked shots (129) last season. Throughout three NHL seasons, Romanov has a total of 41 points in 209 regular season games played while averaging 19:14 of ice time.
During the 2022-23 campaign, the defenseman averaged 19:27 of ice time per game. If Romanov misses the start of the season, it’ll be interesting to see which other Islanders’ defensemen could step up and take some of that ice time.