Montreal Canadiens: Pinpointing the date of Alexander Romanov’s deal

The window is open for Alexander Romanov to sign his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens, but at this point, it’s not a matter of if, but when.

May 1st is an important day for NHL teams looking to add talent from the KHL for the upcoming season. As KHL deals expire at the end of April (per the KHL Legal Regulations document), anything after that is an open ground for new deals. The Montreal Canadiens already hit the European Free Market signing Vasil Demchenko as well as their own draft pick in Arsen Khisamutdinov, but now all eyes are on Alexander Romanov.

The Romanov saga this season has had it’s rollercoaster of expectations even though Marc Bergevin was very confident in the defenceman joining the NHL. Luckily, Romanov’s agent Dan Milstein eased the minds of fans voicing his wish to play in Montreal next year despite the early closure of the KHL playoffs.

Milstein again threw some optimism Montreal’s way by confirming in an interview with Journal de Montréal that Alexander Romanov will sign with the Habs.

It’s not a matter of if anymore, it’s when.

Milstein has already voiced his wishes for Romanov this season. He’d like for the defenceman to sign and play the rest of the year with the Montreal Canadiens, whatever that ends up looking like. That came out a month ago when efforts to restart the NHL with the regular season were prioritized. However, it seems as if playing the rest of the year with only the playoffs could be a preference, even though non-playoff teams still have their own TV deals to honour.

If the NHL returns and plays regular-season games, Romanov likely signs, burns a year of his deal and plays. Walking into the 2020-21 season with two years remaining may be a concern for Bergevin, but again, it’s the 40-game mark teams worry about more. After 40-games, a player officially has an incurred season, which brings them closer to unrestricted free agency. Even if Romanov plays this season, he won’t be any closer to being a UFA, and that’ll be comforting for the Habs.

There is another dimension, and Milstein touches on it in that same interview. Neither party knows if Romanov will be allowed to play with the Montreal Canadiens should he sign. It’ll be a very weird end to the 2019-20 campaign, and it would be tough for the Habs to sign Romanov without him being able to sign. And it’s not as if he could play with the Laval Rocket as the AHL cancelled their season.

It’s a waiting game now, and something the general public won’t be privy to. But what helps is knowing Alexander Romanov is a Montreal Canadien, even if it’s not officially official yet.

The NHL and NHLPA are having continuous discussions on how to bring hockey back. Although there isn’t a set date, John Scott did drop some information a week ago saying NHL camps will begin on June 1st.

By no means is Scott an insider, but he appears to be very confident in his source and what the source had to say. It would match with progressions other hockey minds have talked about in having the NHL return to the summer with the Stanley Cup awarded in August or September.

If that’s the case, we may be able to pinpoint Romanov’s entry-level contract to the month of June, assuming the structure of the season allows him to play.