Montreal Canadiens sign Alexander Romanov to entry level contract

VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 27: Alexander Romanov #26 of Russia celebrates after scoring a goal against Denmark in Group A hockey action of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship action on December, 27, 2018 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 27: Alexander Romanov #26 of Russia celebrates after scoring a goal against Denmark in Group A hockey action of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship action on December, 27, 2018 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

After months of anticipation, the Montreal Canadiens have finally signed Alexander Romanov to a three-year entry-level contract.

On Friday morning, it was announced by the Montreal Canadiens that they have agreed to terms with young Russian defenseman Alexander Romanov.

Due to the situation of the pandemic, no start date was put on the contract yet.

Romanov, who is 20 years old, finished his season in the KHL with 7 assists and a +21 differential with CSKA Moscow. The young Russsian native played 86 career games since he made his debut back in 2018-19.

He finished with  11 points ( 1 goal, 10 assists) with 26 penalty minutes and a +37 differential and played 8 career games in the Gagarin Cup back in 2018-19.

On the international scene, he suited up for Russia at the 2018 U18 Championship. He also played in the World Juniors in 2019 and 2020, where both times, he was named to the WJC All-Star team.

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He was named the best defenseman of the tournament back in 2019 after leading all players in assists (7) and differential (+12)  while leading all defenseman with 8 points.

Romanov was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens back in 2018 in the 2nd round and the 38th pick overall.

I believe this is a move in the right direction for Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens. They may not be where they want to be right now, but once again, the Montreal Canadiens have an exciting future ahead.

Adding already to an exciting crop of young prospects like Poehling, Suzuki, and Kotkaniemi, this team could be a serious threat and a possible cup contender in the near future.

Alexander Romanov will, for sure, improve the Canadiens on the blue line and what better situation than to learn and grow with players like Shea Weber and Jeff Petry.

It was a pretty interesting situation because Romanov could have honestly stayed in the KHL and would have made a lot more money this upcoming season, but it was noted by his agent that he wanted to come to North America and play in the NHL.

Another unfortunate situation is that, unfortunately, we don’t know when the season will resume and if it will be worth it for him to start right away and possibly burn his first year after a couple of games of action.

Next. A Habs vs. Leafs First-Round. dark

We will see how this all plays out, but all in all, a great move by the organization continuing to bolster its prospect pool.