Montreal Canadiens sign Alexander Romanov to entry-level contract

The Montreal Canadiens selected Alexander Romanov in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He has gone from a largely unknown prospect at that time to now being considered one of the steals of the draft. Today, the team announced he has signed his entry-level contract, prepared to leave his home country of Russia to begin his North American career.

The contract will begin at a yet to be determined time, meaning that Romanov may be eligible to take part in a resumed NHL season. It allows room for the team to be flexible.

While Romanov had limited offensive output on his KHL team, CSKA Moscow, he has shown offensive potential in the two World Junior Championships he participated in, voted the defender of the tournament once, and to the All Star Team both times.

The left side of the Canadiens’ defence has been a weakness for several seasons, and that’s a hole that the team hopes Romanov will fill. He might need further development to become a stable top-four defender, so it is important for everyone to have patience as there will be some errors while he adapts to a faster and bigger league.