Elliotte Friedman tweeted that the Montreal Canadiens will have a 53-hour window after the RTP-CBA agreement is agreed upon to sign Romanov and have his contract count for this season.
The clear con of having Romanov burn a year before even playing a single game with the team is that it brings him a year closer to restricted free agency. Additionally, it’ll be up at a time where management is going to have to start making difficult decisions to maneuver around the cap with it staying flat while having to pay their core players.
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With all that being said, the Montreal Canadiens should swallow the pill and have Romanov’s contract start now.
There are a lot of mysteries that can arise here, and many of them are out of Montreal’s control. Milstein has made it clear Romanov wants to be in Montreal and play for the Habs. However, the fact that the KHL has already confirmed to start in September while the NHL has no tentative date for next season (some predicting early January) could be a wrench in those plans.
If the NHL states specifically that Romanov can’t join the team for training camp or even come to the hub cities without being able to compete, it’s going to be a tough situation. If the Habs have the contract kick in next season, perhaps it leaves an open window for Romanov to return to Russia and possibly play a year there before heading to the NHL.
It’s a matter of security and ensuring nothing else can go awry. And even if burning a year brings Romanov closer to being an RFA, it could help the Montreal Canadiens as far as negotiations go.