The New York Islanders have already been forced to watch Alexander Romanov start another long recovery, but this time he won’t have to go through it alone.
Romanov, who had just fought his way back from a season-ending shoulder injury and earned a place on the opening night roster, was knocked out again after suffering an ACL injury against the New York Rangers in the third game of the season. He will need surgery to repair the tear in his right knee and is expected to be out 6-8 months.
That’s a brutal setback on its own. What makes it a little more manageable for Romanov is the presence of Kyle Palmieri, who knows this exact road well.
Palmieri spent plenty of time leaning on Anders Lee after Lee tore his ACL on March 11, 2021. The Islanders wound up trading for Palmieri later that season, bringing him over from the New Jersey Devils, and the two forwards have stayed close even after Lee left in free agency this past summer.
"We've known each other for a long time," Palmieri said of Lee, via Brian Compton of NHL.com. "I leaned on him a lot.
He was there even when I wasn't asking questions, checking in on me. That's just the kind of guy he is.
"Hopefully I can be that for Romy. It's a hard process and it's a long process, but having somebody there who's been through it, who can help guide you, it helps a lot.
I'll try and be that for Romy. "'Leesy' was an invaluable resource for me every step of the way leading up to surgery (and) after it.
I still talk to him quite a bit now. We miss him and he was a big help for me."
That kind of support matters even more for Romanov because this is the second straight season in which injury has wiped out his momentum. He was limited to 15 underwhelming games last year before the shoulder injury shut him down, then returned this preseason looking ready to make an impact before the knee injury stopped him again.
For the Islanders, the sight of key names getting back on the ice this preseason was supposed to be a lift. Semyon Varlamov returned after being away for nearly two years following partial replacements on both knees, and Palmieri was also back after his own ACL injury cut his 2025-26 season short after only 25 games.
Romanov’s latest setback changed the mood, but Palmieri can at least offer something concrete: a teammate who knows what the grind looks like from the inside.
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