Canadiens Expecting Big Things From Alexander Romanov

When the Montreal Canadiens drafted Alexander Romanov out of Russia with the 38th overall pick at the 2018 draft, they were thrilled he was still available to select. Turns out their pick is turning into quite the prospect and a player the team sees stepping in next season and contributing.

Assistant coach Luke Richardson met with the media and had this to say about the best defenseman from last year's World Juniors tournament:

Obviously we have to let him have a chance to come in and earn that spot and prove it, but it's there for him to do that. We've evaluated players before and you've seen them come out of the world juniors as stars and do very well in the NHL, so we're expecting nothing less than that for Romanov. He's a very excitable player, exciting to watch. He plays with the passion and excitement. That's always fun and that'll look really great on a Saturday night in the Bell Centre.

Romanov spent last season in the KHL and his numbers didn't jump off the page. Regardless the Canadiens know they have a top-end prospect on their hands, that if developed properly, could easily become a top-2 defenseman for their club.

For now, head coach Claude Julien will start Romanov on the third-pair and let the d-man's game determine where he plays:

If he's that good, he'll be a second pairing before you know it. But I think we allow him to develop and gain some experience at a comfortable pace and allow him to showcase what he's able to do.

He's a very confident individual. Who knows where he's going to be once the season starts? This is a guy who can surprise a lot of people just because he's got those attributes, but he's also got the confidence to go with it, so he may be pushing a lot of people before you know it.

Habs fans should be excited, sounds like they have a stud defenseman on their hands.