New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov isn't laying the body as much anymore. Here's why that's a good thing.
New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov isn't laying the body as much anymore. Here's why that's a good thing.
When the New York Islanders acquired Alexander Romanov from the Montreal Canadiens at the 2022 NHL Draft, the belief was that they were getting a young defenseman with tremendous upside.
One scout shared that the Islanders had acquired a "Kasparitis-like" defenseman, who, despite not being the biggest blue liner standing at six-foot-one, 215 pounds, had no issues throwing booming hits at a consistent rate.
Back in 2020-21, Romanov's first NHL season, he laid the body 134 times in 54 games at 5-on-5, averaging 2.48 hits per game.
That number rose his sophomore season, with 202 hits in 79 games, an average of 2.56 hits per game.
When Romanov arrived on Long Island, he was joining a team with a much different system, which caused troubles early on as he tried to adjust under first-year head coach Lane Lambert.
Alongside a young Noah Dobson, Romanov struggled to time his hits, stepping at his blue line in situations where he should have played more positionally.
As the season progressed, one could see the growth in Romanov's game, especially when Lambert placed him alongside veteran Ryan Pulock.
Romanov showed more control, making quicker plays and, more importantly, the right decisions with and without the puck on his stick.
Although there was a drop-off in his hitting, Romanov still averaged over two hits per game, 2.39, after 182 hits at 5-on-5 in 76 games.
After missing the final six games of the regular season and the first two games of the playoffs due to a shoulder injury, Romanov played in the final four games against the Carolina Hurricanes before opting for off-season shoulder surgery.
There were question marks surrounding his readiness for the start of the 2023-24 season, but Romanov was ready to go once training camp began, and he's yet to miss a game this season.
Through 32 games, Romanov has proved that the Islanders didn't make a mistake when they made that deal with Montreal, as he has become a legitimate top-pairing defenseman.
Back alongside Dobson due to injuries to Adam Pelech and Pulock, the two have flourished in their second stint together.
While a lot of that has to do with Dobson's exponential defensive growth, which has only made him more of an offensive threat, Romanov has been that support for Dobson that he wasn't a year ago.
Despite the tremendous growth in Romanov's game, his hitting statistics are trending in the opposite direction.
With 44 hits in 32 games, Romanov averages 1.38 hits per game at 5-on-5.
That's almost a drop-off of a hit per game from his 2022-23 season, which is a rather substantial drop.
Was the shoulder still a concern?
When the Islanders were in Florida, The Hockey News asked Lambert about Romanov's hitting numbers and what he thought of Romanov's physicality this season.
"Well, I think he's physical when he needs to be," Lambert said. "Certainly, early on in his career, there was a potential for him to run out of position to make a hit. We don't want that."
No, the Islanders do not, and Romanov's positioning has been one of the biggest areas of growth this season.
"Sometimes it's unnecessary. Sometimes you don't need to chase guys," Romanov said on Dec. 7. "Everyone is just playing with structure. We are way more solid in the defensive zone and more solid in the neutral zone. But it doesn't mean you need to be chasing guys and hit everyone.
"I don't mind hitting the guy, but at the same time, I don't want to chase everyone and just try to hit them. If I have a situation where I can hit the guy, I will hit the guy. But if it's unnecessary, I don't want to jump on the guy. I can cause Dobson to have to defend a 2-on-1."
That keen understanding of the system and how his decisions could affect his defense partner has allowed Romanov to flourish at a time when the Islanders desperately need their healthy blueliners to step up with all the key injuries.
Now, there have certainly been times when Romanov has gone for the hit and missed, or his positioning failed him, but there's no question his awareness has affected other aspects of his game for the better.
Through this growth in year two on Long Island, Romanov is averaging 2.09 blocks per game at 5-on-5, which would shatter his career-high of 1.21 he set last season.
That's all positioning and anticipation.
Reminder: those numbers don't include his play on the penalty kill.
Romanov is giving the puck away at the lowest rate of his career, currently at .59 per game at 5-on-5, with .63 per game last season serving as the best mark of his young career.
Looking at all-strengths for shooting rather than 5-on-5, since other variables don't affect that too much from a defensive-minded defenseman, Romanov is averaging 1.72 shots per game (55 on the season), surpassing his career-high of 1.32 per game which he set a season ago.
Romanov's growth, even over the last month, has been clearly noticeable, and his ability to make the necessary changes to his game to be effective has earned more trust from his head coach. as he's being called upon in critical moments.
Hitting was Romanov's staple in Montreal, and when he lays a hit now, it's still as equally explosive as it once was.
They're just more calculated.
"I just liked to make more and more hits," Romanov said about his play through his first two seasons in the league. "That's just what I wanted. But not now.
"I just want to play solid games and just keep the structure. Nothing's really changed, but I think I started playing smart."
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny.