Montreal Canadiens: Will Alexander Romanov Choose NHL or KHL Next Season?

The Montreal Canadiens have an excellent prospect in their system in Alexander Romanov. The Russian defenseman has not yet made up his mind about coming to Montreal or staying in Russia next season.

The Montreal Canadiens went way off the board when they selected Alexander Romanov with the 38th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He was ranked 115th by Central Scouting and 83rd overall on Bob McKenzie’s draft rankings. When “The Bobfather” is off by that much, it is a huge surprise.

In the last year and a half, Romanov has made the Canadiens management team look like geniuses for taking a chance on him. The Russian defender had the hockey world take notice of him when he made the CSKA Moscow team in the KHL last season. Not many 18 year olds, especially defensemen, can crack a KHL lineup and stay there all season.

The only time Romanov left the KHL squad was to represent his country at the World Juniors in December and January. He was simply dominant at both ends of the ice for the Russians, scoring a goal and eight points in seven games and was their best defensive player as well. Romanov was named the top defenseman in the tournament, no small feat for an 18 year old playing against players who are mostly a year older.

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Romanov is suiting up for CSKA Moscow once again this year, but his contract with the KHL club runs out at the end of their season. According to the TSN Insider’s on last night’s edition of Insider Trading, Marc Bergevin is keeping a steady dialogue with Romanov and is trying to talk him into signing with the Canadiens for next season.

A lot of us Habs fans have been scribbling Romanov’s name into our projected lineups for next season, but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Bergevin went to Russia to meet with Romanov and his family, and plans on doing the same thing in December, but he could decide to remain in Russia in the future.

What I find noteworthy is that Romanov came to Montreal during the team’s annual rookie development camp. Most of the Canadiens drafted prospects were in attendance, but due to the complicated agreement between the NHL and KHL, Romanov was not allowed to take part in any on-ice activities during the camp. However, he flew halfway across the world to meet with many future teammates and do some off-ice activities with the Canadiens rookies.

This doesn’t guarantee he will sign with the Habs as soon as possible, but it was a notable gesture by the Russian teenager. There remains a possibility that his team in Moscow will offer him a contract for next season and they can offer much more money than the standard entry-level contract that limits the Canadiens to offering less than a million dollars per year on a three year contract.

Romanov is playing regularly in the CSKA top six and they are off to a great start after winning the Gagarin Cup last spring. They have a 12-3-0 record in 15 games and would obviously love to keep their young defender around in the future.

He is an excellent two-way defenseman and if he chooses Montreal next season, would immediately step into their top four on the left side. He would really fill a huge need on the team by taking on a prominent role with either Shea Weber or Jeff Petry as his partner.

What is more interesting than next season, is what if Romanov came over at the end of this season to play in the playoffs? The KHL runs on a far different schedule than the NHL and saw its championship awarded on April 19th, 2019. Romanov’s team is off to a great start, but even if they lose in the conference finals, they could be out before the NHL regular season is finished.

Remember Nikita Gusev last season? He signed with the Vegas Golden Knights after his KHL team lost in Game 7 of the KHL semi-finals. If Romanov did the same thing he could play in the NHL at the end of this season. This would also burn off a year of his deal like Ryan Poehling did, and make him a free agent following the 2021-22 season, allowing him to earn bigger money a year sooner.

Imagine Romanov and Cole Caufield hopping on board to join the Habs in the postseason. It’s not a guarantee, but with the timing of the KHL and NCAA playoffs, it is absolutely possible.