Prospect Info: Alexander Romanov (2018, 38th OA) - KHL, CSKA Moscow: Part IV

[montreal]

I watched the 3rd, Romanov seemed to have very short shifts, perhaps because it was such a tight game. He didn't really do much from what I saw as it was a little distracting to also be keeping an eye on the ex Habs, Emelin, Scherbak, Ghetto blaster and Sekac. It looked like he was used at both RD and LD.

on a side note I don't watch any non Hab games so I forgot how fast Ghetto is, he looked good. Emelin looked smaller then I remember. I posted some thoughts on Scherbak in the Timmins thread since there had been a discussion going on there about him since the interview came out.

 

[Vachon23]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a big offensive potential in Romanov ? I think he can probably be a good top 4 who pay well defensively, his physical and have a good transition game but I don’t think that he can be more then a 20-30 pts player.

 

[CHarlie]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a big offensive potential in Romanov ? I think he can probably be a good top 4 who pay well defensively, his physical and have a good transition game but I don’t think that he can be more then a 20-30 pts player.

Yep your all alone

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a big offensive potential in Romanov ? I think he can probably be a good top 4 who pay well defensively, his physical and have a good transition game but I don’t think that he can be more then a 20-30 pts player.

He has the potential to be a functional offensive player a la Shea Weber, meaning, he isn't some great passer or playmaker, but can be effective by having a good read and functionning in a systemized way.

 

[Vachon23]

He has the potential to be a functional offensive player a la Shea Weber, meaning, he isn't some great passer or playmaker, but can be effective by having a good read and functionning in a systemized way.

Weber has canon shoot though. Romanov shoot won’t scare alote of goalie in the NHL.

 

[Goldenhands]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a big offensive potential in Romanov ? I think he can probably be a good top 4 who pay well defensively, his physical and have a good transition game but I don’t think that he can be more then a 20-30 pts player.

Nope, you arent alone, I still have my doubts he has the skillls required to quarterback a PP, I rather see him as a very effective all around defenseman who can do a bit of everything on the ice, a solid 2nd pairing guy that will contribute several ways...

I think the expectations in general with this kid are far fletched, getting a solid 2nd pairing beast in the second round would still be pretty amazing for the franchise...

 

[montreal]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a big offensive potential in Romanov ? I think he can probably be a good top 4 who pay well defensively, his physical and have a good transition game but I don’t think that he can be more then a 20-30 pts player.

I don't see it so far, but in the KHL where I have mostly seen him, he is told not to be too aggressive in the offensive zone from what i've heard. I think he has decent offensive upside but not 1st pairing. He can move the puck and has a heavy shot but I have been saying all last year I wanted to see him use it more as I've heard so much about it but haven't seen many really good shots from him.

Hopefully over the next few years we start to see more offense from him and then we'll have a better idea of what he can be.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

If he's gonna produce it's gonna be from smart pinches and back door sneakiness I think. I think he can still be first pairing. Despite the move from having a solid stay at home guy on each pairing who has little offense I still think you can be a 20-30 pt guy and still be a first pairing D imo anyways. I still think likely he's a 2nd pairing guy.

 

[montreal]

If he's gonna produce it's gonna be from smart pinches and back door sneakiness I think. I think he can still be first pairing. Despite the move from having a solid stay at home guy on each pairing who has little offense I still think you can be a 20-30 pt guy and still be a first pairing D imo anyways. I still think likely he's a 2nd pairing guy.

the question shouldn't be can he be a 1st or 2nd pairing D or not, but can he be a 1st or 2nd pairing D on a contending team, since that's what we hopefully will be down the road. Look at Mete, he's a 1st pairing D but on a non playoff team, put him on a contending team and he's likely not a top pairing D. If Romanov comes here next year and is on the top pairing but we miss the playoffs it's a moot point. But when we are hopefully a contender again, can Romanov be a top pairing D? No one knows as there are just too many questions and variables but if he can be that would be massive. If not but he turns into a very solid 2nd pairing LD then that would still be huge for us.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

the question shouldn't be can he be a 1st or 2nd pairing D or not, but can he be a 1st or 2nd pairing D on a contending team, since that's what we hopefully will be down the road. Look at Mete, he's a 1st pairing D but on a non playoff team, put him on a contending team and he's likely not a top pairing D. If Romanov comes here next year and is on the top pairing but we miss the playoffs it's a moot point. But when we are hopefully a contender again, can Romanov be a top pairing D? No one knows as there are just too many questions and variables but if he can be that would be massive. If not but he turns into a very solid 2nd pairing LD then that would still be huge for us.

I try more to have those higher standards and have them implied in my projections without having to state them each time. I can see Romanov potentially being a #2 to proper #1. It really is about the finer parts of his decision-making which need to be parsed out I think to see if the upside is there.

Mete at 20? No not on a contender. Mete in a few years? I'd still like to wait and see. Possibly not but to do the imitation he did of one at that age is very impressive. Sure Weber makes players better but not to some insane degree. I wonder how many polls would have Weber as a top 20 D man anymore. He's not a god and he certainly wasn't down the stretch last year.

 

[Kriss E]

Sounds like a solid 2nd pairing guy at worst...Lots of hype for him.

 

[montreal]

I try more to have those higher standards and have them implied in my projections without having to state them each time. I can see Romanov potentially being a #2 to proper #1. It really is about the finer parts of his decision-making which need to be parsed out I think to see if the upside is there.

Mete at 20? No not on a contender. Mete in a few years? I'd still like to wait and see. Possibly not but to do the imitation he did of one at that age is very impressive. Sure Weber makes players better but not to some insane degree. I wonder how many polls would have Weber as a top 20 D man anymore. He's not a god and he certainly wasn't down the stretch last year.

yes Mete at 20, can't say for the future as it's too hard to project, he's gotten a lot of great experience for someone that young but with young players it's all about how much they continue to improve or not.

 

[Favster]

the question shouldn't be can he be a 1st or 2nd pairing D or not, but can he be a 1st or 2nd pairing D on a contending team, since that's what we hopefully will be down the road. Look at Mete, he's a 1st pairing D but on a non playoff team, put him on a contending team and he's likely not a top pairing D. If Romanov comes here next year and is on the top pairing but we miss the playoffs it's a moot point. But when we are hopefully a contender again, can Romanov be a top pairing D? No one knows as there are just too many questions and variables but if he can be that would be massive. If not but he turns into a very solid 2nd pairing LD then that would still be huge for us.

I think Romanov could have a similar impact as Hjalmarsson had with Chicago during their peak years. He was a very solid second pairing D who go more than 20 points only twice his entire career.

 

[Vachon23]

I think Romanov could have a similar impact as Hjalmarsson had with Chicago during their peak years. He was a very solid second pairing D who go more than 20 points only twice in his entire career.

Not a bad comparison at all, if he can be as good as Hjalamarsson was, I will be really happy

 

[Favster]

Not a bad comparison at all, if he can be as good as Hjalamarsson was, I will be really happy

Same here. Stylistically, I think they're different but their overall impact on the game could be similar.

 

[JianYang]

Nope, you arent alone, I still have my doubts he has the skillls required to quarterback a PP, I rather see him as a very effective all around defenseman who can do a bit of everything on the ice, a solid 2nd pairing guy that will contribute several ways...

I think the expectations in general with this kid are far fletched, getting a solid 2nd pairing beast in the second round would still be pretty amazing for the franchise...

Was that ever an expectation though? That he would be a future PP QB?

 

[HOPE]

Romanov has the potential to be a perfect modern complimentary Dman that you pair with a highly offensive guy. Bomb of a shot, reads the ice very well, still very mobile with a great first pass and physical. I’d like to see a guy like Brook focusing more on his offensive abilities and getting paired with Romanov, that line would be nearly impossible to score against and super effective in the Ozone.

 

[HockeyDBspecialist]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a big offensive potential in Romanov ? I think he can probably be a good top 4 who pay well defensively, his physical and have a good transition game but I don’t think that he can be more then a 20-30 pts player.

he's one of the rarest D to have ALL the tools, he's not elite ine verything but he has all of them.

- poise
- good in hid Dz
- Can drive the rush
- good speed
- amazing shot and release
- see the plays well
- great hockey IQ
- hit like a wall
- strong on board

 

[Toene]

I don't see it so far, but in the KHL where I have mostly seen him, he is told not to be too aggressive in the offensive zone from what i've heard.

So Russian coaches are even dumber than NA ones? Amazing.

 

[montreal]

So Russian coaches are even dumber than NA ones? Amazing.

the coach that just won the KHL Championship and looks to have an even better team this year, hard to call him dumb as he is there to win not worry about developing an 18 or 19 year old that will likely leave for the NHL at some point.

 

[Toene]

the coach that just won the KHL Championship and looks to have an even better team this year, hard to call him dumb as he is there to win not worry about developing an 18 or 19 year old that will likely leave for the NHL at some point.

I mean, Julien won the cup but makes stupid decisions at times. I get what you say and thought about it before posting but I now realize I should've precised : dumber with their young players.

 

[HOPE]

I mean, Julien won the cup but makes stupid decisions at times. I get what you say and thought about it before posting but I now realize I should've precised : dumber with their young players.

I get what you are saying, but like stated above, they could care less about Romanov's developpement, they play whoever is best for them now. He's not part of their future. He needs to win his icetime more than anyone else, because his age itself makes him behind everyone!

 

[montreal]

I mean, Julien won the cup but makes stupid decisions at times. I get what you say and thought about it before posting but I now realize I should've precised : dumber with their young players.

touche, I'm still pissed he won the cup that year, we had them.

 

[Toene]

touche, I'm still pissed he won the cup that year, we had them.

Because even if they are Russian meant to stay in KHL, they still dont get much ice time/opportunities. They're gwnerally very conservative with young players. Maybe it's why it's a lower scoring league that it could be. Offensive players generally hit their offensive peak in their early twenties.

 

[cphabs]

He has the potential to be a functional offensive player a la Shea Weber, meaning, he isn't some great passer or playmaker, but can be effective by having a good read and functionning in a systemized way.

I see a lot of Matt Schneider in him.