Having lost their General, Andrei Markov, a year earlier to the KHL, the European combine in Stockholm made Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin aware of a new Russian defender that might be able to fill a void in the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup in a few year’s time.
Alexander Romanov had showcased himself in the Under-18 World Championship, and when the confusion among Montreal media and fans in Dallas on the 23rd of June rose to peak level, no one could have predicted that this season would become the ‘Year of The Tsar.’
Initial confusion was replaced by a sort of wonder when the KHL season started and Romanov took a place in the starting lineup of the best team outside the NHL: CSKA Moscow.