Islanders’ Patrick Roy gets brutally honest on replacing Alexander Romanov

The New York Islanders host the last-place Vancouver Canucks on Friday at UBS Arena. After a loss to the Detroit Red Wings ended their three-game winning streak, they are looking to get back on the right track. Islanders head coach Patrick Roy announced a change on the blue line in an evolving effort to replace Alexander Romanov on defense.

“Isles HC Patrick Roy on filling Romanov hole: ‘We’re going to try different things, and that’s how it’s going to be all year for the rest of the year.’ [Adam] Boqvist will play Friday vs. Canucks,” Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News reported on Thursday.

The Islanders lost Romanov, likely for the entire season, after a controversial hit from Mikko Rantanen back in November. Travis Mitchell replaced him for a bit while playing limited minutes next to Scott Mayfield. Now, Adam Boqvist will take the spot on Mayfield’s left, which will be rotating for the season.

The other two options for that spot are Long Island native Marshall Warren and fellow AHL defenseman Isaiah George. Warren was called up when Mitchell was sent down and will be a healthy scratch on Friday. George just returned from an upper-body injury to play for Bridgeport.

The Islanders do not have the cap space to pick players off waivers right now. So, they will have to use internal options to fill Romanov’s role. Boqvist was plucked off waivers from the Florida Panthers last year when there was a bevy of defensive injuries. Now, on a new contract, that move is paying off again.

The Islanders are holding down the third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division, losing a tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals at the moment. While the season is not halfway over yet, the Isles have surpassed any expectations they had for this season. Can they keep it rolling on Friday?

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