Romanov: The start of something good

EDMONTON - Alexander Romanov endeared himself to Canadiens fans everywhere in his NHL debut, and his first media availability of the season on Friday was equally special.

The 21-year-old Russian defenseman was all smiles after practice at Downtown Community Arena reflecting on the moments before and during the game against the Maple Leafs that he'll remember forever.
Admittedly, Romanov was feeling the proverbial butterflies in his stomach ahead of the season opener that ultimately ended in a 5-4 overtime loss to begin the campaign.
"I think more excitement because it was my first game. And a little bit nervous, a little bit nervous because I didn't know what the NHL was like in real life," said the former second-round selection and Gagarin Cup champion, who spent the last two seasons in the KHL ranks with CSKA Moscow. "But it was okay, it was good."

That's for sure. Apart from the daunting first shift, which he noted had him feeling somewhat bewildered to start - "I didn't understand where I was, like it was so fast" - he quickly settled down and felt at ease in his new surroundings.
By the time Morgan Rielly sealed the deal in OT, Romanov was the club's third-most utilized player with 21:30 of ice time. Only fellow rearguards Shea Weber and Jeff Petry were given more minutes. Romanov also collected his first NHL point, setting up Tomas Tatar for his breakaway marker in the second period, and amassed three shots on goal and four blocked shots as well.
The Moscow native wholeheartedly appreciated the vote of confidence by the coaching staff.
"It was really comfortable to play big time because every shift I was in the game," mentioned Romanov, who logged 2:58 and 2:17 of ice time on the power play and penalty kill, respectively. "I was playing and feeling good."

Having a veteran soldier like Brett Kulak at his side certainly helped Romanov's cause, too.
They've been paired together since the start of training camp and Romanov indicated they meshed well in their first assignment.
"We communicated good. We talk every time when we go to the rink," he explained. "He really helped me communicate with the coaches."
No doubt the duo will have to be at their very best should they find themselves on the ice against the likes of Oilers snipers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Saturday evening, but Romanov is looking forward to it.
"It's a really good challenge playing against them," he said.

High praise
After watching his performance in training camp, Romanov's teammates knew they had a real gamer coming on board who was primed to contribute right away.
That was confirmed again on Wednesday night.
When Phillip Danault was asked to compare his debut on November 22, 2014 to Romanov's effort at Scotiabank Arena, he didn't mince words.
"I'd say he was a lot more confident than I was," revealed Danault. "He knows why he's here. He was confident. He's a good passer and a good shooter, so it's a good addition to the team. He's very important for us."

Petry was equally complimentary during his media opp, emphasizing Romanov's strengths.
"He had poise. If you were to be watching the game not knowing anything about him, you wouldn't say that was his first NHL game. He looked like a guy that was playing with confidence," mentioned Petry. "He skates well, he plays physical and he's a guy that's comfortable with the puck on his stick. Especially as time goes on and he gets more and more comfortable, he's going to be a very good D-man for us this year and moving forward."
'He really wants to learn'
There's no denying the skill set Romanov brings to the table on the ice, but head coach Claude Julien is equally impressed with his hunger for knowledge and his desire to improve.
You really couldn't ask for more in a young stud with such remarkable potential.
"You can tell when you talk to him, he really wants to learn, he wants to get better. He's confident, but he also knows that he's got an opportunity here to get better as a defenseman, especially in this league playing against the best players in the world," explained Julien. "We like where he's at right now. He comes in with that little bit of swagger but also that understanding that he still has a lot to learn and he's very eager to learn, too."

Now, Julien is interested to see how the rookie performs against a player of McDavid's calibre after facing some of Toronto's stars with a calm and cool demeanor.
It'll be a good test for Romanov and an educational experience of epic proportions along the way.
"He really feels that he can play at this level and feels he's ready and nothing seems to faze him. There's also the ignorance side of it, right? He doesn't know any better. He knows players, but he doesn't have that fear in him yet because he hasn't seen some of the things that some of these players bring," he added. "But when he sees McDavid use his speed, I think he'll realize that the one thing he can't do is get caught up the ice. Sometimes ignorance is a good thing and sometimes the experience of playing against some of these players eventually will bring a little bit more light to some of the things he's not aware of yet."