At the NHL draft last July, few expected to hear Gary Bettman announce two trades for the Montreal Canadiens. First, trading Romanov to New York and then acquiring centre Kirby Dach.
In an interview today, Romanov explained that he was very surprised by the trade.
"Oh, I was in shock. Honestly, it was a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm so excited to be here. And I'm already in Long Island and getting ready for the season and ready to play and ready to play now. So I'm waiting."
The good news is that Romanov will be surrounded by his best friend in life, goalie Ilya Sorokin, who is the team's No. 1 goalie.