The Islanders likely will be without physical defenseman Alexander Romanov for the rest of the regular season, and third-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
The Islanders made the twin announcements on Sunday before facing the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena.
Romanov will miss five to six months and will require right shoulder surgery after taking an illegal hit from Mikko Rantanen on Tuesday in Dallas. The Islanders said Romanov, who required surgery on the same shoulder after the 2022-23 season, is expected to make a full recovery.
Coach Patrick Roy said he could not answer for sure when he was asked if Romanov will be ready for next season’s training camp.
“As of now, we’re going to miss him for a long period of time,” Roy said.
Rantanen drew a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct but no supplementary discipline from the NHL. He was fined for embellishment in his next game and then earned a mandatory one-game suspension for a second game misconduct after his hit on the Flames’ Matt Coronato of Greenlawn on Saturday.
“First of all, he’s not happy,” Roy said of Romanov, in the first season of an eight-year, $50 million deal. “We didn’t have the same opinion as the league when that happened. But again, we have to move on. You don’t replace a player like him.”
For now, right-shooting Adam Boqvist, switching to his off-side, is taking the lefthanded Romanov’s spot on the third pair with Scott Mayfield.
Romanov had one assist in 15 games.
Pageau, also a key penalty-killer, has six goals and six assists in 22 games, including two shorthanded goals. He is in the last season of a six-year, $30 million deal.
Lambert was surprised
Kraken coach Lane Lambert, in his first visit to UBS Arena as a head coach since the Islanders fired him in favor of Roy on Jan. 20, 2024, said his immediate reaction that day was “surprise.” He said it was “past history” when he was asked to reflect further on his experience on Long Island.
Lambert went 61-46-20 as the Islanders’ coach after being promoted following four seasons as Barry Trotz’s associate coach.
Lambert spent last season as the Maple Leafs’ associate coach.
“That was a good year in Toronto,” he said. “It was a good opportunity to step back, take a deep breath and get back the love of the game.”
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.