Islanders sign Alexander Romanov to an eight-year contract

Mathieu Darche worked out the deal he had to on Monday, the eve of the free-agent market opening after an impasse in contract talks with Noah Dobson led the Islanders general manager/executive vice president to trade the defenseman three days earlier.

The Islanders announced physical defenseman Alexander Romanov, a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, had agreed to an eight-year deal. It’s a $50 million contract with an annual average value of $6.25 million.

Puckpedia.com reported the deal includes a no-movement clause in the second through fifth years and a modified no-trade clause over the final three seasons.

Romanov’s new deal leaves the Islanders with $14.7 million in space under the $95.5 million salary cap with 18 players signed. The free-agent market opens Tuesday at noon.

Darche traded Dobson, Romanov’s frequent defense partner, to the Canadiens on Friday for RFA forward Emil Heineman and picks Nos. 16 and 17 in Friday’s first round, which Darche used to select forward Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson, respectively.

Dobson then promptly signed an eight-year, $76 million contract with the Canadiens.

Romanov, at 25 the same age as Dobson, is a physical whirlwind who has shown some flashes offensively and was coming off a three-year, $7.5 million deal.

Former president/GM Lou Lamoriello acquired Romanov on July 7, 2022, for the 13th overall pick in that year’s draft.

The 6-1, 220-pound Russian had four goals and 16 assists in 64 games last season, healing fully after missing time early because of cartilage damage between his ribs.

By signing Romanov before the free-agent market opened, Darche eliminated the risk of having another team give him an offer sheet that might have handcuffed the Islanders against the salary cap.

Plus the Islanders couldn’t afford another subtraction from their defense corps after Dobson was traded. Among their other signed defensemen, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock have been injury plagued, Scott Mayfield was a frequent healthy scratch last season under coach Patrick Roy, and Adam Boqvist, claimed off waivers from the Panthers last season, has been more of a depth option who has yet to play more than 52 games.

Darche did sign Boqvist, 24, to a one-year, $850,000 deal on May 30.

Defenseman Tony DeAngelo, brought in last season after a stint in the Russian KHL, is a pending unrestricted free agent as is veteran defenseman Mike Reilly, who returned to the Islanders late last season after being diagnosed and treated for a heart condition detected in November.

Romanov said at the Islanders’ breakup day on April 19 that he would go into contract negotiations focused on staying on Long Island because “I really love this place,” and that he wanted to “stay here as long as possible.”

At the same time, he expressed disappointment in the Islanders missing the playoffs by nine points with a 35-35-12 record in Roy’s first full season as coach.

“Personally, I think it was a strong year,” Romanov said that day. “It’s not good enough. Personally and as a team, we’ve got to come back stronger and better.”

Darche has said several times, including before trading Dobson, his goal was to re-sign all of the Islanders’ prominent free agents. He also said, with specific regard to the RFAs with arbitration rights, he did not feel rushed to get deals done.

Darche extended qualifying offers to RFAs Simon Holmstrom, Maxim Tsyplakov, Marc Gatcomb and Heineman, all forwards, ahead of Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline to do so. Defensemen Samuel Bolduc, Aidan Fulp and Scott Perunovich were not extended QOs and became UFAs.

“I’ll try to get something done but in all due time,” Darche told Newsday on June 6. “It’s a process. I’ve got to do my proper research on all the players, where I feel the contract should be and hopefully we come to an agreement. I’m not worried. I just hope we can get a deal done with a number that’s satisfying to both sides.”

That didn’t happen with Dobson. So it had to with Romanov

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.