Montreal Canadiens: Alexander Romanov Could Be Bringing Alexei Marchenko to Habs Next Year

The Montreal Canadiens are optimistic that Alexander Romanov will be joining them next season. It is possible that Alexei Marchenko could be joining him.

The Montreal Canadiens are very optimistic when they talk about their chances of brining Alexander Romanov over from the KHL next season. It can be tricky sometimes when you draft a player out of Russia. They can be paid far more money to stay at home than they make on an entry-level contract in North America.

However, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin went to Russia in December and came back very optimistic about his chances of signing Romanov this summer. When Bergevin returned he commented that Romanov wants to be in Montreal and Bergevin believes he will be there as soon as next season.

The 19 year old left defenseman was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Habs. He was a bit of an unknown at the time but blossomed quickly and has risen up the top prospects lists to the point many draft gurus and prospect experts believe Romanov is one of the best defence prospects outside the National Hockey League right now.

That is music to Montreal fans ears. The one thing the Canadiens need most right now is to upgrade their left defence. After watching Romanov dominate at the past two World Junior Championships, we are all intrigued to see what he can do at the NHL level. I can’t imagine he will jump right in and play top pairing minutes, but his defensive acumen and physical style should help him acclimate to the North American game quickly.

Another thing that could help him get used to things in Montreal for the first time would be some Russian teammates. According to Igor Eronko, a Russian hockey writer, Romanov could be bringing Alexei Marchenko with him when he comes to North America.

Marchenko was drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He played 121 NHL games with the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to play in Russia. He has been playing for CSKA Moscow for the past three seasons and has been a teammate of Romanov’s for the past two years.

Marchenko is a big, right shot defenseman and has 21 points in 58 games in the KHL this season. He is 28 years old so he isn’t exactly a prospect anymore, but as a veteran who has experience in the AHL, KHL and NHL he could step in and play a role as a third pairing guy on the right side.

The most important aspect of bringing in Marchenko would be to help acclimatize Romanov to North America. Marchenko spent four years with the Detroit Red Wings organization, splitting time between the Motor City and Grand Rapids where the Wings AHL affiliate resided.

The 6’2 and 205 pound defender has increased his point total the past three years in Russia and could be ready to play full-time in the NHL after letting his first opportunity slip away. More importantly, he would help ease the transition for a prospect who is going to arrive in Montreal as a 20 year old in a few months with sky-high expectations and a huge transition to deal with.

There was some debate earlier in the year whether the Habs would be able to convince this Russian defenseman to move to Montreal after they drafted him in 2018. It sounds like not only could the Canadiens be adding Romanov next season, but they might be adding Marcehnko as well.