The New York Islanders will be without a key blueliner for most of the 2026-27 season.
Defenceman Alexander Romanov will be sidelined for the next six to eight months after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced Wednesday.
Romanov suffered the injury in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The incident occurred midway through the third period when he collided awkwardly with Rangers centre Mika Zibanejad.
The 26-year-old has played in all three of the Islanders' games this season, going without a point but possessing a plus-2 rating while playing an average of 16:34 of ice time.
The Moscow native is coming off an injury-shortened 2025-26 season. A shoulder injury from a hit by Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen last November caused Romanov to miss the final five months.
Counting three games this fall, Romanov has skated in a total of 18 since signing an eight-year, $50 million contract in the summer of 2025.
Over his 372 career games in seven seasons split between the Islanders and Montreal Canadiens, Romanov has 17 goals and 67 assists.
-- With files from the Associated Press
