Montreal Canadiens should burn a year and sign Alexander Romanov now

Extending the 20-year-old for two years of work rather than three could make a difference. Bergevin tends to make use of bridge deals, and if Romanov has two decent, but not star-studded, seasons, that could keep the salary down.

Romanov is getting a lot of hype before even playing a single game, and those expectations are driving his eventual cap-hit up, but it could take longer for him to reach that kind of ceiling. Keep in mind that it generally takes longer for defencemen to come into their own than forwards.

And to add further difficulty, Romanov is coming to a new situation with smaller ice, meaning less time to think and make decisions. There is going to be a learning curve, and it could encompass those two years of entry-level time.

This is where communication is going to be key between the Montreal Canadiens and Romanov’s camp. He’s part of the future, there’s no doubt about that, and there is symbolic value in having him on the books now despite the consequences.

Look at Ryan Poehling. The Montreal Canadiens signed him to an entry-level contract at the end of the 2018-19 season to play one single game with the team while automatically burning a year. Even though it brought him closer to restricted free agency, he was able to join the team and record his first career hat-trick.

Alexander Romanov isn’t going to have the opportunity to play games with the Habs, but there’s a chance he can be part of that group. That’s worth having the contract kick in now.