On July 13th, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they finalized a three-year entry-level contract for one of their top prospects, Alexander Romanov. The first year of the contract will be burned off as Romanov will take part in the Canadiens training camp but will be ineligible to participate in the playoffs.
The Montreal Canadiens signing Alexander Romanov is mutually beneficial for both sides. Per the new CBA rules agreed upon between the NHL and NHLPA, players eligible to sign an ELC are also able to burn off the first year of the contract if both sides come to an agreement.
As a result, players who do so, in this case, Alexander Romanov, can take part in their team’s training camp and travel with to their respective hub cities (Toronto for the Montreal Canadiens) even though they cannot take part in the playoffs.
However, although recently signed players are unable to play, they are still able to take advantage of skating with their team during practices, an enticing opportunity for young players looking to impress their coaches to and making a case for a roster spot next season.
The Canadiens and Alexander Romanov have finalized the defenseman's entry-level contract details.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/O9w1wog8Lp
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 13, 2020
Alexander Romanov is listed on the 33-player roster for training camp. Prior to joining the Montreal Canadiens for their training camp, Romanov will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine as he will be flying over from Russia. He is expected to join the team upon completion of his quarantine.
Potential Benefits of Signing Alexander Romanov for the NHL’s Return to Play
By being able to take part in training and travelling with the team to Toronto, Romanov will have the chance to get acquainted with his teammates and work under Claude Julien and the rest of the current coaching staff. As a result, this may make Romanov’s transition to the NHL next season all the more easier as the organization will have a better idea as to where to place him in the lineup.
The opportunity to practice alongside the likes of Montreal Canadiens’ defencemen Shea Weber and Jeff Petry will help decide which players Romanov has more chemistry with to put him in the best possible spot in the lineup to succeed early on. By practicing under Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien, Romanov will not have to wait until the 2020-21 season to learn how to play under the team’s system, which may save some time for both the player and coaching staff.
Per CapFriendly, choosing to sign Alexander Romanov while he is ineligible to play in the qualifying round of the playoffs also ensures the Montreal Canadiens will not have to worry about any offer sheets upon the expiration of Romanov’s entry-level contract.
Because Romanov is ineligible for the play-in/playoffs, he won't get any pro games under his SPC for the 2019-20 season.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 13, 2020
As a result, he will likely have an expiry status of Group 1, or 10.2(c). This means he will not have any FA rights at expiry and can not sign an Offer Sheet. https://t.co/joiBbCT4WC
This is a big advantage for the Montreal Canadiens as it is too early to predict what kind of cap situation the team will be in when Alexander Romanov is due for an extension and will not have to worry about an offer sheet that may put them in a tight spot.