The New York Islanders have been busy this offseason with general manager (GM) Mathieu Darche making a few signings. The change of pace from the Lou Lamoriello era is hard to keep up with. After the Noah Dobson trade and the draft, Darche got to work, signing Alexander Romanov to an eight-year extension, re-signing Anthony DeAngelo, and signing Jonathan Drouin, Ethan Bear, and David Rittich.
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The Romanov deal stands out as he’s the player the Islanders will build around for the future. There’s a good argument that Dobson was the better defenseman of the two and should have been the defenseman they extended. Likewise, there’s a good case that Romanov, while not getting Dobson money, is overpaid considering his lack of production offensively. However, this deal was pivotal for the Islanders to land as they needed to keep him around.
Romanov As a Core Player
With the eight-year deal, the Islanders are building their defense around Romanov. In the previous seasons, the trio of defensemen leading them was Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield. All three are under contract long term but are far from the skaters leading the way (as they’ve declined in recent seasons). Now, with Romanov entering his prime at 25 years old, he’s the one leading the unit.
The core is Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal up front and Ilya Sorokin in net. Ideally, Matthew Schaefer will be the leader of the defense as the number-one pick and an elite talent. Until he’s ready, it will be Romanov taking on the top-pairing role and significant ice time each game.
Usually, when you think of a top-pair defenseman, you think of a two-way player who handles the puck and takes the offense to the next level. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes usually come to mind. Romanov is built differently. He’s a physical, hard-hitting, and shot-blocking defenseman who typically cleans up the mistakes of an overly aggressive defenseman on his pair. It’s what the Islanders need, and oddly, has become a rarity in the NHL, with many blue liners being developed to play the two-way style.
Darche Still Has Room to Work With
Even with the $6.25 million average annual value (AAV) contract, the Islanders still have the cap space to make a big signing. The first day of free agency was where Darche spent most it it, signing Drouin, Bear, Rittich, and re-signing DeAngelo. That said, there’s still $7 million in cap space for the Islanders to make one big signing.
Considering Brock Boeser signed a seven-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks with a $7.25 million AAV, the Islanders can give Nikolaj Ehlers a similar deal with a $7 million AAV to fit him on the roster. If Darche pulls that off, the Islanders will suddenly be one of the better teams in their division and have more young talent on the way as well. They already added some depth with their initial free-agent signings and a splash can move the needle for a team looking to rebound after missing the playoffs last season.
Schaefer’s Possible Pairing
When Schaefer is ready, he can be a great top pair option alongside Romanov. Every great two-way defenseman needs a stay-at-home option to help him out, whether it’s Filip Hronek helping Hughes with the Canucks or Dante Fabbro helping Zach Werenski with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Romanov would play that role for Schaefer and allow him to play aggressively in the offensive zone.
The big problem is that both Schaefer and Romanov play the left side, so it’s hard to envision them on the ice at the same time. Instead, the Islanders would have two “top pairings” with both skaters leading a pair and taking on significant ice time. That said, Romanov is still a mentoring presence to the young defensemen who are poised to join the NHL roster in the coming seasons.
The irony is that Romanov, at 25, is one of the younger defensemen on the roster. Yet, when Schaefer, Isaiah George, and Kashawn Aitcheson are ready for the NHL, he’ll be the veteran of the group and play a pivotal role helping those skaters get up to speed and acclimate to the league.
