It’s unclear when the Islanders will get Alexander Romanov back from an upper-body injury, but general manager Mathieu Darche declined to rule out long-term injured reserve Wednesday, hours before the team cleared a roster spot for a potential call-up by waiving Marc Gatcomb.
Darche said that Romanov is unlikely to play Thursday or Saturday, but did not go further than that.
He called the injury “nothing serious” but indicated that LTIR — which would put Romanov on the shelf for a minimum of 10 games and 24 days — is an option for the defenseman.
Alexander Romanov, who is battling an upper-body injury, skates with the puck during the Islanders’ win over the Oilers on Oct. 16, 2025. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
“We’re looking at different options right now,” Darche said. “That’s part of our job is to play with the CBA and all the rules that come with it to make sure you have a compliant roster. We’re looking at different options.”
Given that the Islanders want to keep accruing salary cap space and that the timeline for Romanov’s return seems uncertain, LTIR would appear to be an option of last resort.
Alexander Romanov checks Connor McDavid during the Islanders’ win over the Oilers on Oct. 16, 2025. Getty Images
If Romanov were to require LTIR, his earliest possible return would be Nov. 10 against the Devils, assuming the injury is backdated to the Islanders’ Oct. 16 loss against Edmonton.
Opening a roster spot by waiving Gatcomb allows the Islanders to call up another defenseman without putting Romanov on LTIR or regular injured reserve, which could be a good sign for his timeline.
Isaiah George and Marshall Warren would be the likely call-up options from AHL Bridgeport. George played 33 games with the Islanders last season, while Warren had a strong training camp and has impressed at the start of the season in Bridgeport.
Pierre Engvall will miss at least 5-6 months after having surgery on his ankle, Darche said.
Engvall, who missed training camp while rehabbing from offseason hip surgery, aggravated an already existing ankle issue during that process, requiring him to undergo surgery again.
“We decided to get it fixed right now so it doesn’t linger,” Darche said. “The amount of term on his contract [which runs through 2029-30], instead of him not playing at full strength, we might as well get it fixed.”
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Semyon Varlamov continues to progress in his recovery from knee surgery, but a return sounds far from imminent.
Darche said that Varlamov has recently started dropping down into a goaltending stance and testing his knee more, describing the Islanders’ approach as “wait and see.”
Engvall and Varlamov, who are on IR, could be moved to LTIR “once we need it,” Darche said, but the Islanders would prefer to continue accruing cap space for the time being.
Max Shabanov missed practice with maintenance.
Neither Darche nor head coach Patrick Roy said whether he will play Thursday against the Flyers.