What can the Montreal Canadiens expect from Alexander Romanov?

Alexander Romanov is the prospect the Montreal Canadiens have been looking forward to the most given what he’s accomplished since the 2018 NHL Draft.

The 2018 NHL Draft was the start of the Montreal Canadiens‘ retool. After another injury-plagued season, the organization motioned to get younger and faster to create a revamped core skilled enough to help Shea Weber and Carey Price hoist the Stanley Cup. It started with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who had ‘number one centre’ potential as the Habs moved up a spot in the NHL Draft Lottery. Then in the second round, the Canadiens addressed the hole they had organizationally at left defence, taking Alexander Romanov 38th overall.

The accolades that Romanov has grabbed since then have done nothing but strengthen the hype around him as a player. Playing in the KHL as an 18-year-old – albeit in a limited role – and being a star at the World Juniors amongst his peers gave analysts plenty to talk about. Now, as we wait for the start of the 2020-21 season, the next set of questions revolve around what Alexander Romanov can do at the NHL level.

As it stands, the 20-year-old is starting the year on the third pair. Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson have control of the left side in the team’s top-four. And if Edmundson has a staggering start, the Montreal Canadiens could always go back to Kulak-Petry, which brought a lot of positivity and structure to the blue line last season.

Just because Romanov is beginning his NHL career on the third pair, it doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily stay there. Claude Julien hasn’t shied away from giving young defencemen an opportunity out of the gate. Think back to Victor Mete‘s NHL debut, where he started out as Weber’s defence partner. It didn’t work out as well as either would’ve liked, but it’s still a vote of confidence that Julien is willing to get creative to that extent.

Additionally, it looks as if Romanov is already starting to impress the coaching staff.

Expectations are indeed high, and based on that comment, it’s possible Romanov can breakout and steal a spot from Edmundson or Chiarot. The Montreal Canadiens appear to be taking the “show us what you got” approach with the Russian defenceman. I don’t think they’ll give him more than he can handle, but at the same time, if he’s making child’s play out of what they are giving him, he’ll get more.

More from Editorials

• Montreal Canadiens: Senators Rebuild At Crisis Point As Kent Hughes Moves Forward
• Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Continues Charity Work In Montreal After Leaving Habs
• Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Lineup Going To Be Must Watch
• Montreal Canadiens: Jesse Ylönen Contract Extension Analysis
• Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #31 Quentin Miller

As electric as Romanov might be, this is still a young player who needs to adjust to the increased pace and competition of the NHL. There’s also a possible boost in ice time, especially if Richardson and the rest of the Habs coaching staff are comfortable with giving him more responsibilities. Romanov averaged 12:08 in his KHL career with CSKA Moscow, which was approximately cut in half during the playoffs to 6:44.

That’s going to take some adjustment,

Montreal Canadiens fans may be looking to Romanov to bring an electric flair in his rookie year, but he’ll need time to grow. Fellow A Winning Habit writer Scott Cowan wrote a post on Romanov months prior on how he is being set up to be a saviour on defence. Those expectations can be detrimental in a market such as this.

That said, some players can rise to the occasion, and Romanov appears to have the right attitude and confidence about him to overcome it. I still think it’s important to temper expectations such that there are no significant disappointments, if any.

Romanov brings more offence and dimensions to his playing style than Mete. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him hit at least 20 points while seeing anywhere from 10-12 minutes a night. That could change if he’s given power play time, which would be interesting to see the Montreal Canadiens explore. Injuries are also a possible factor that could result in an increase, but the Habs have had way too many of those in the last two years, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Along with Nick Suzuki and Kotkaniemi, Alexander Romanov is one of the cornerstones of the new young core Marc Bergevin has built in this retool. However, it’s going to be crucial to ensure he’s being nurtured well and not put in a position to exceed more than he can deliver. That’s what development is all about.

Acknowledgements: KHL stats from the official website.