World News – CA – Romanov stands ready to lob Canadiens immediately

Alexander Romanov has an excellent chance of making an instant impression with the Montreal Canadiens in the defender’s first season in North America.

« Of course we have to give him the chance to earn this place and prove it, but that’s what he’s here for, » said Canadian assistant coach Luke Richardson on Tuesday. « We’ve rated players before and you’ve seen them emerge stars from the World Juniors and do very well in the NHL. So we expect nothing less than that for Romanov. « 

Richardson, a defender for 21 seasons in the NHL, said Romanov had « that electricity in his game. « . « The 20-year-old was named best defender at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship after scoring eight points (one goal, seven assists) in seven games to move Russia to third place. He also scored six points (one goal, five assists) in seven games at WJC 2020 and was named to the tournament’s All-Star team after helping Russia finish second.

Romanov, selected by Montreal in the second round (No.. 38) of the 2018 NHL draft scored 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) and was plus-37 in 86 games for CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League in the last two seasons.

« He’s a very exciting player, exciting to see, » said Richardson. « He plays with the passion and excitement. This is always fun and will look really good on a Saturday night at the Bell Center. « 

Romanov (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) gained some experience with the Canadiens in Toronto, the hub of the Eastern Conference, for the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs after agreeing to a three-year entry. Level contract 13. July. He practiced with the Canadiens, but was not eligible to play in the postseason.

The NHL is targeting Jan. 1, 2021, for the start of the season. Romanov could start with Montreal’s third defense pair but may not take long to earn extra Ice Age.

« If he’s that good he’ll be a second pairing before you know it, » said Canadien coach Claude Julien. « But I think we will allow him to develop at a comfortable pace and gain experience and show him what he can do.

« He is a very confident person. Who knows where he’ll be at the start of the season? This is a guy who can surprise a lot of people just because he has these traits, but he also has the confidence to go with it so he may push a lot of people before you know it. « 

Richardson said he hopes to experiment with preseason games where Romanov fits best and evaluate the Canadians’ depth at the defender. Montreal voted on Sept.. a four-year contract with Joel Edmundson. 16, four days after it was acquired in a business with the Carolina Hurricanes. His arrival, the maturation of 22-year-old Victor Mete, and the presence of Captain Shea Weber and Jeff Petry give Canadians options for the structure of the defensive pairs.

« I think we have to see it somehow, » said Richardson. « It might just take a little. A little bit, not trial and error, just tries, like just small tests here and there, and see what works best. I think physically [Romanov] really does a great job with his stick and then his body when it comes to separating people from the puck, and I think that will really help him get more Ice Age with whoever.

« We’re not physically concerned about him against a big, strong line; not at all. I think he’ll be fine there. He’s going to surprise a lot of people physically and you will see that I’m sure at the start of the season people who don’t know him that well will be in our zone on their [backsides] which is great for us. « 

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Montreal Canadiens, National Hockey League, Patrick Roy