Alexander Romanov out 6-8 months with torn ACL

Fantasy hockey: Romanov cannot play while recovering from surgery, and his 19:53 a night and 2.2 blocks open up for Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo.

By Fantasy Roundup Staff · October 7, 2026 · Updated October 7, 2026

Alexander Romanov is out 6-8 months with a torn ACL in his right knee and is scheduled for surgery. The Islanders defenseman was injured in the third period Tuesday night against the Rangers when he got tangled up with Mika Zibanejad.

Romanov cannot play while sidelined, and his three-game week drops to zero for as long as he is out. His 19:53 of ice time per game and 2.2 blocks a night open up for Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo.

Fantasy impact

Player by player

Alexander Romanov

Romanov cannot play while recovering from surgery. He averaged 0.24 points per game, 1.4 shots, 2.0 hits and 2.2 blocks over his recent sample of 157 games, logging 19:53 a night with just 0:04 on the power play (18th among all Islanders skaters). His underlying play grades 10 out of 100 among defensemen in shots, scoring chances and ice time, a read on how sustainable his scoring is.

The injury wipes out a three-game week that was set to include Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday. Romanov produced no power-play points per game over his recent stretch, and his lack of special-teams work limits the fantasy hit from his absence. Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo are in line to absorb his minutes at even strength.

What to do

• Drop Romanov in all formats, as he cannot return this season.

• Stream Adam Pelech if you need blocks in the short term, as he should see more ice time.

• Monitor Tony DeAngelo's usage over the next few games to see if he picks up the bulk of Romanov's minutes.

Schedule this week