The New York Islanders and defenseman Alex Romanov have agreed to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension, which will pay him an average annual value of $6.25 million.
New general manager Mathieu Darche had until Monday to extend a qualifying offer to Romanov, a restricted free agent, but instead has locked him up for the foreseeable future. With it, the 25-year-old maintains his place at the heart of the Islanders’ blue line, likely as a second-pair option.
He had often worked with Noah Dobson since being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the 2022 NHL Draft, but will now feature in a new-look blue line that saw Dobson traded to Montreal for two first-round draft picks on Friday. The Islanders drafted the highly-touted Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick and then picked up the hard-hitting Kashawn Aitcheson at No. 17.
Romanov was limited to 64 games last season while dealing with numerous injuries, but still recorded four goals with 16 assists (20 points). He posted 22 points in each of his previous two seasons with the Islanders, in which he played 76 and 81 games.
He now re-joins a blue line that is also set to feature Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and Scott Mayfield as mainstays. Schaefer has been adamant that he is pushing to make the opening-night roster despite being 17 years old, while fellow prospect Isaiah George, who appeared in 33 NHL games last season in New York, will be in pursuit of a full-time role, as well.
