New York Islanders have key defenders to expand with Romanov – Hockey Writer – New York Islanders

During the offseason, the New York Islanders made some signings with General Manager (GM) Mathieu Darche. The pace changes in the Lula Morriello era are difficult to keep up. After Noah Dobson’s trade and draft, Darche went to work, signed Alexander Romanov for an eight-year extension, re-signed Anthony Deangelo and signed Jonathan Drewin, Ethan Bell and David Retic.

Related: Islanders should target these 3 players in the free agent

Romanov trade stands out because he is the player the Islanders will build in the future. There is a good argument that Dobson is the best defender of both and should be their extended defender. Again, there is a good example of Romanov, although he didn’t get Dobson’s money, he was well paid considering his lack of production on the offensive end. However, this deal is crucial for the islanders to land as they need to keep him around.

Romanov as a core player

Under the eight-year contract, the islanders are building defenses around Romanov. The trio leading their defensive players over the past few seasons have been Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield. The three have long signed contracts but stay away from the skaters’ lead (as they have gradually declined in recent seasons). Now, as Romanov entered his peak at the age of 25, he was the one who led the unit.

The core is the front of Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal, Ilya Sorokin in the network. Ideally, Matthew Schaefer would become the leader of the Ministry of Defense, the first pick and elite talent. Before he is ready, Romanov will play the best role and lots of ice time per game.

Often, when you think of a top defender, 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 think of it. Romanov was built in different ways. He is a physical, tenacious and shooting defender who usually cleans up his mistakes against the overly aggressive defender in the couple. That’s what the islanders need, and strangely, the NHL’s rarity has become rarity, with many blue linings being developed to play a two-way style.

Dutch still has room for cooperation

Even with a $6.25 million average annual value (AAV) contract, the islanders still have a cap space for large signatures. The first day of free agents was Darche spending most of his time signing with Drouin, Bear, Rittich and re-signing with Deangelo. That said, the islanders still have $7 million in cap space to make a big signing.

Given Brock Boeser signed a seven-year contract with the $7.25 million AAV with the Vancouver Canucks, the islanders could make a similar deal with the $7 million AAV to fit his roster. If Darche achieves this, the Islanders will suddenly become one of the best teams in their department and have more young talent along the way. They have added some depth to their initial free agent signings, and the splash can make the team bounce after missing the playoffs last season.

Schaefer’s possible pairing

When Schaefer is ready, he can be a great choice for Romanov. Every great two-way defender needs a full-time choice to help him, whether it’s Filip Hronek, whether it’s helping Hughes join Canucks or Dante Fabro, or helping Zach Werenski with a Columbus blue jacket. Romanov will play this role for Schaefer and allow him to actively play in the offensive zone.

The biggest problem is that both Schaefer and Romanov play the left side, so it’s hard to imagine them on the ice at the same time. Instead, the Islanders will have two “top pairs” with both skaters leading a pair and doing a lot of ice time. That said, Romanov remains the coach of young defensive players who are ready to join the NHL roster in the coming season.

Ironically, Romanov, 25, is one of the young defensive players in the roster. However, when Schaefer, Isaiah George and Kashawn Aitcheson prepare for the NHL, he will become a veteran of the group and play a key role in helping these skateboarders grow rapidly and adapt to the league.