The New York Islanders announced Wednesday that defenseman Alexander Romanov has a torn ACL in his right knee and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026-27 season. The team said he will need surgery and is targeting a return in roughly six to eight months, a timeline that leaves only a sliver of hope he could skate again this season if the Islanders make a deep playoff run.

Romanov went down in the third period of New York's 5-2 loss at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night after a tangle with Rangers center Mika Zibanejad. He did not return, sitting out the final 12:04 of the game, and the severity of the injury became clear the next day when the club confirmed the ACL tear, according to ESPN's report.

A brutal pattern of injuries

This is the second consecutive season-altering injury for the 26-year-old. Romanov missed the final five months of last season after a hit from Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen tore his shoulder last November, also requiring surgery. He had returned to the lineup for just three games this season — going pointless with a plus-2 rating and averaging 16:34 in ice time — before the knee injury struck.

EVEN IN A BEST-CASE SCENARIO, Romanov would be returning for only a handful of games down the stretch, if the Islanders are still playing meaningful hockey.

The Russian-born defenseman was Montreal's second-round pick (No. 38 overall) in 2018 and has posted 84 points (17 goals, 67 assists) across 372 regular-season games with the Canadiens and Islanders. He signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension with New York in the summer of 2025, a deal now clouded by back-to-back long-term absences.

New York, off to a 1-2-0 start, hosts Chicago on Thursday as the front office and coaching staff weigh how to fill the void on the blue line. Losing Romanov removes a top-four defenseman who logs heavy minutes, and the Islanders are expected to lean on their remaining depth pairings while they evaluate options ahead of what could be a long winter without him.