Montreal’s Russian defender fought with team-mate Gallagher at the club’s training camp – October 1, 2021.
The mood is heated to the limit – such words are suitable in order to describe the state of the hockey players who trained the day before in the camp of the Stanley Cup finalist “Montreal Canadiens”. Russian defender Alexander Romanov struggling to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves a spot in the first squad. And Romanov fights for his chance like an angry lion.
“Romanov does not take prisoners”
The reason for this conclusion was one of the exercises proposed by the coaching staff of “Montreal”. The attacker had to break through to the net to the gate by all means, and the defender had to keep the forward. One of the leaders of the Canadians’ attack was paired with Romanov Brendan Gallagher, and sparring with him came out as tough as possible for Alexander. It even came to very sensitive thrusts with a club, but still the line that separates roughness from roughness was not crossed.
“Romanov does not take prisoners,” writes Marc-André Perrault, a columnist for the French-speaking TV company TVA Sports.
The despair with which Romanov is struggling is understandable. Recently, the 21-year-old Russian defender has seen a lot of competition in the roster: newcomer Kayden Goulet and 24 year old finn Sami Niku trying to win back playing time from Romanov. At the same time, he will still play in the first pair of defense with Jeff Petrie.
“We have some nice young guys who had a decent first season in the NHL. Going through such situations is a good way to prove your worth. “– said Petrie, whose constant partner – Joel Edmundson – dropped out due to injury.
“We need to score points from the very first match. We do not have 10-12 swing matches, no one will return the starting defeats. So when the door opens, you will have to go in there, “said the head coach. Dominique Ducharmecommenting on the competition within the line-up.
The intensity with which Romanov is working in the current training camp pleases many. So, Alexander works a lot separately with the coach of defenders. Luke Richardsonto correct deficiencies in tackling actions. At the same time, the rivalry in the team only pushes the Russian to better results.
“Our defenders must defend themselves.”
“Romanov is easy to fall in love with, looking at the passion with which he works. This is amazing intensity. “, – noted the columnist for TVA Sports Renault Lavoie…
Jeff Petrie is discussed by the Montreal coaching staff as a mentor for Romanov. Romanov has a bright future, according to the veteran who became the number one quarterback when Shea Weber dropped out.
“Alexander has everything to become a great defender at the NHL level. He is strong, moves the puck well, skates well. Since his debut in the Toronto Bubble a year ago, he hasn’t taken a day off! He always trains a lot and is the last to leave the ice. “Petrie said.
In a word, for Romanov it is more important than ever to take a step forward. According to the theory of the same Ducharme, the entire season is divided into four parts: three-thirds of the regular season and the playoffs. In the season, Alexander showed progress in each of the following parts, but he almost did not play in the playoffs. This was largely due to the uncertainty of the coaching staff, which could not decide how to use the talented Russian. According to Ducharme, Romanov needs to be improved in reading the game and a specific game moment, but the main thing is to find the right outlet for his enormous energy.
“He has it everywhere, both on the ice and in the locker room. He must learn to manage it correctly. Because sometimes, when you are too active, it is ineffective. Sometimes he tries to do too much, but this is the fate of the educational process. Today he plays better than a year ago or at the previous training camp “, – the head coach said.
Most likely, after several starting matches, Romanov will be transferred from the first pair of defense to the third. Ducharm prefers that the defensive players not play too much in the attack, often repeating the phrase: “Our defenders must defend.” But there is no doubt that Alexander is trying his best to be as good as possible.