Islanders Sign Young Defenseman to Massive Extension

Romanov, 25, scored four goals and 20 points in 64 games for the Islanders this season. He also posted a plus-5 rating, tied for the third best on the team.

The Russian defenseman has never been an offensive dynamo, however. He's best equipped to take up big minutes on the blue line and kill penalties. Considering he averaged 22:18 of ice time this season and consistently played on the second penalty kill unit, he's doing his job well.

The Islanders acquired Romanov from the Montreal Canadiens during the 2022 NHL Draft. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said it was "very difficult" to trade Romanov, but he had to in order to facilitate other moves.

Montreal originally selected Romanov with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

With this extension, the Islanders have officially locked up the core of their blue line for the foreseeable future. Adam Pelech is under contract until 2029, Ryan Pulolck and Scott Mayfield are until 2030 and now Romanov is until 2033. Plus, they now have No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer on the way.

It's a bold move to commit that much money for so long, and we'll have to wait and see how it works out for them in the future.