- Alexander Romanov needs knee surgery after Tuesday’s loss to the Rangers
- The Islanders defenseman played only 15 games last season because of a shoulder injury
- Read below for the video of the injury and what it means for New York’s blue line
New York is losing a top-four defenseman for most of the season.
Alexander Romanov tore the ACL in his right knee during Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers and will need surgery, the Islanders announced Wednesday. He’s expected to be out six to eight months:
It happened in the third period after an awkward collision with Mika Zibanejad behind the Islanders net. Romanov couldn’t put much weight on his right leg but got himself to the bench without help, and he didn’t play the final 12:04.
Watch the sequence where Romanov got hurt:
Pete DeBoer had no update after the game. Romanov wasn’t on the ice for Wednesday’s optional skate, and the team confirmed the tear a couple of hours later.
Romanov went down in the same game where Semyon Varlamov made his first NHL start in 676 days.
This is rough luck for the 26-year-old. He’d only just made it back from shoulder surgery after getting hurt against the Stars last November, an injury that limited him to 15 games and one assist in 2025-26.
We pointed out when the news broke that the shoulder cost him five to six months. The knee could keep him out even longer:
A six-to-eight-month timeline puts his return somewhere between early April and early June. New York’s regular season wraps on April 10, so the best-case scenario has him back for the final stretch or a playoff run.
Before the injury, Romanov was skating on the second pair with Ryan Pulock, behind Adam Pelech and Matthew Schaefer. He was plus-2 through three games and averaging 16:34 of ice time.
Losing him hurts a team that’s already 1-2-0. DeBoer could slide Logan Stanley up the lineup, or the front office could go shopping for a proven top-four defenseman.
His contract carries a $6.25 million cap hit. The former second-round pick has 84 points (17 goals, 67 assists) in 372 career games with Montreal and New York.
The Islanders play their first game without Romanov on Thursday when they host the Blackhawks.
