Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin was available to the media yesterday afternoon in Vancouver. He made it very clear that he expects Alexander Romanov in Montreal next season.
The Montreal Canadiens have been looking for help on left defence for a few years. Signing Karl Alzner didn’t work out and it left the team with a large void on the left side. There is reason to believe help is on the way and according to Marc Bergevin it should arrive as soon as next season.
Bergevin rarely speaks to the media, but he did yesterday. One of the main points he made was to comment on his recent trip to Russia where he checked in on top prospect Alexander Romanov before he heads off to the World Junior Championships in two weeks. A tournament that he dominated last year by the way, winning the award given to the top defenceman.
Bergevin went over to Russia to check in on the 19 year old left defenceman and watch him play a few KHL games with CSKA Moscow. Romanov has made the Habs general manager look like a genius after everyone questioned him for selecting Romanov in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft.
When speaking with the media yesterday, Bergevin stated that he can see Romanov being in Montreal next season.
Marc Bergevin on Alexander Romanov: “The kid wants to be a Montreal Canadien....I see him being in Montreal next year.”
— Dan Robertson (@DanRTSN) December 16, 2019
This is noteworthy on a couple of levels. First of all, Romanov is under contract until the end of this season with his KHL team, but he could sign an extension any day if he pleased. He hasn’t yet, but he could make more money next season playing in Russia than he could on an entry-level contract. Still, Bergevin seems very confident that Romanov will forego a bigger payday in his home country to move across the Atlantic Ocean.
Also, what I found most noteworthy was that Bergevin said Romanov would be in “Montreal next year.” He didn’t say North America. He didn’t say he’d be over for training camp. He didn’t say he believes they will agree to a contract. He distinctly said that he can see Romanov in Montreal next year.
That tells me that the Habs general manager has clearly penciled Romanov into the lineup as soon as opening night 2020. Having just seen him play live in Russia, Bergevin is confident in what he saw that Romanov’s game will translate well to the National Hockey League and he will able to contribute as a 20 year old next season.
This is obviously great news for the Canadiens and their fans. We have been waiting for an upgrade on the left side of the defence since Markov left for Russia in 2017. It appears the answer may have been found in Russia and could very well be on its way to Montreal as soon as next training camp.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Romanov is leaning towards North America over Russia. However, you never know with these young Russians. They could elect to stay in Russia until they are in their mid twenties.
Romanov doesn’t appear likely to stay in Russia. He even traveled to Montreal last summer to hang out during rookie camp even though his KHL contract prohibited him from taking part in any on-ice sessions during the camp.
This all seems to be pointing towards the Canadiens and Romanov agreeing to a contract as soon as they are entitled to negotiate a deal. That means the Habs will be adding a potentially impact left defenceman next season.