Yes, the Romanov Trade Was a Good Move for the Islanders

Last night, a lot of people were asking this question in response to the Islanders trading their 13th overall pick to the Canadiens for defenseman Alexander Romanov:

“Really? Him? For a first-round pick?”

Some were quick to suggest Romanov wasn’t worth the cost of acquisition, and I’m here to tell those people — and you, the reader — that he absolutely was.

He’s not going to win a Norris Trophy, nor is he even going to be the best defenseman on the team. But Romanov doesn’t need to be either of those things. He just needs to be a good, competitive blueliner on the first or second pairing. Given that he’s just 22 years of age, can skate extremely well, can shut down opposing forwards, and play a lot of minutes (he averaged 20:24 or ice time per game in 2021-22), plus the fact that his contract is going to be inexpensive, this is a great move for the Islanders, who desperately needed to improve their defense corps beyond Noah Dobson, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock.

In theory, the Isles are in a position to win — assuming they can fill the gaps they need to on offence as well.

They’ve done just about everything else that’s needed to assemble a contender. There’s a ton of depth on offence, but there’s a lack of front-line star talent there. They have two anchors on defence in Dobson and Pelech, another steady hand in Pulock, and now plenty of depth at that position as well with the addition of Romanov. They have a star goaltender in Ilya Sorokin. They supposedly have a franchise center in Mat Barzal, who better put up at least 80 points this season, especially if he was truly involved in Barry Trotz’s dismissal because he felt he was being held back offensively. He’s also simply too talented to be putting up mediocre numbers the way he has lately.

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Now, it’s all about adding the missing pieces. Romanov was one. A high-scoring winger needs to be the other. And the costs associated with making those moves, while still something to try and keep as low as possible, simply don’t matter as much at this stage — and shouldn’t.

At a certain point in a team’s process, it becomes more about doing whatever it takes to add the missing links than making sure every transaction is overly favourable. You build through the draft and add depth by being shrewd, but then you add final pieces by any means necessary.

So, when a left-handed defenseman that can play big minutes, play a good two-way game, and skate well is a significant priority (and it is), a 13th-overall pick is not a steep price to pay, but even if it is a slight overpay, a notion I don’t agree with, it’s worth it if it means filling that void. All of these draft picks, prospects, and assets are collected with one thing in mind, and that’s building a team that can contend. If you’ve done just about everything else and are now at that crossroads, then the only thing that matters is getting across that finish line.

The Islanders are better today than they were yesterday. They are better with Romanov than they are without him. That doesn’t mean they don’t have more work to do, but it’s a step forward, and one that needed to be taken.

Maybe that 13th pick will become a star, or maybe he won’t pan out. It’s anyone’s guess. But Romanov is really good, and he can play in the NHL right now. He’s a tangible, definable asset. He fills a big need. And, if you were to draft a player who ended up having the pedigree and potential that Romanov does at No. 13, you’d be very happy with that. And, besides, it’s not like they traded away a top-five (or even a top-ten) pick. This is a pick in the middle of the first round. The entire future of the organization doesn’t hinge on that pick by any stretch.

If you want to win now, these are the kind of moves you need to make — even if it means trading something you’d rather not part with. Romanov does have value as an individual player, but he also has value because he’s one of the final pieces to the puzzle.

It’s a big step in the right direction. It’s not the last step, but it’s one that needed to be taken.

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