New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov will miss six to eight months after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament during a game against the Rangers. The major knee injury sidelines the 26-year-old for a second season, upending the team’s blue-line plans just three games into the year.
The recovery timeline puts Romanov on the shelf until April at the earliest, threatening to wipe out the entirety of his regular-season campaign. The Islanders announced Wednesday that the blueliner requires surgery to repair the torn right ACL, an outcome confirmed after he exited Tuesday night’s matchup at Madison Square Garden.
The sequence unfolded during the third period of a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers when Romanov collided with forward Mika Zibanejad. He missed the final 12:04 of the contest and did not return to the ice.
A Brutal Repeat for a Returning Cornerstone
The 26-year-old defender spent the past several months fighting back from an operation to a shoulder that prematurely ended his 2025-26 season on Nov. 19.
Getting the defenseman back to health was treated by the club as a major acquisition. Across three games this year, he had logged a plus-2 rating while averaging 16:34 of ice time per night.
In total, Romanov has been limited to just 18 games across the last two seasons when factoring in his 15 appearances last year and three games this autumn.
Defensive Shuffling and Roster Decisions on Long Island
The immediate burden falls on the Islanders’ coaching staff to reconfigure a blue line that was built around Romanov logging top-four minutes alongside Ryan Pulock. Without making any roster moves, the team can shift Matthew Schaefer back to his forehand on the left side, move Adam Pelech to the second pairing, and insert either Scott Mayfield or Matt Kessel on the right.
Other internal options wait in the wings. Logan Stanley stepped up during the Rangers game, earning praise from Pete DeBoer as one of our better defensemen
on the night. Prospects Isaiah George, who competed for an NHL job in camp, and top prospect Kashawn Aitcheson also provide alternative depth on the left side if the club opts for youth.
Financial relief accompanies the roster headache. Because of league rules regarding long-term injured reserve, only a portion of Romanov’s $6.25 million annual salary will count against New York’s salary cap this season. That adjustment lifts the Islanders’ available cap space for the remainder of the year.
Injury Complicates Romanov Long-Term Contract and Trade Value
Beyond the immediate games against opponents like the Chicago Blackhawks, the injury complicates the organization’s long-term calculus. Romanov is signed to a long-term contract carrying a $6.25 million cap hit that runs through the 2032-33 season.
A full no-trade clause is set to kick in on July 1 of next season. General manager Mathieu Darche faces the reality of evaluating a cornerstone piece who will have played only a fraction of the matches expected during the initial years of his deal, leaving both the club and potential trade suitors with mounting questions regarding his durability.
Whether Romanov can see the ice again before the conclusion of the 2026-27 campaign depends entirely on the speed of his rehabilitation. The regular season draws to a close on April 10, leaving a potential postseason return as the narrowest window for his comeback.
Originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft at 38th overall, Romanov has accumulated 84 points across his regular-season career.