When New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov went down with a right-shoulder injury on Nov. 18, the fear was that we wouldn't see him back on the ice for quite a while. The initial prognosis was that Romanov would miss five-to-six months after undergoing right-shoulder surgery. That would put Romanov on the shelf for the rest of the regular season, at least, which included his contract being placed on Long-Term Injured List.

With much time left in the schedule at that point, thinking about the playoffs wasn't really a realistic conversation, just yet.

Now it is.

The Islanders entered the 2026 Winter Olympic break sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a four-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals. Romanov is still far away from a potential return, but is progressing well as he hit the ice before last Friday's skate, taking shots:

Romanov is back on the ice, firing shots as he continues a challenging recovery. His mid-playoff-round return date hasn't changed.

Islanders’ Alexander Romanov Progressing After Shoulder SurgeryRomanov is back on the ice, firing shots as he continues a challenging recovery. His mid-playoff-round return date hasn't changed.

With Romanov, potentially, available in the mid-playoff rounds if the Islanders get there, there's something that general manager Mathieu Darche needs to keep in mind between now and the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.

There's a new rule that went into place regarding playoffs and the salary cap.

Teams must have a cap-compliant 20-player roster for each playoff game. So, in theory, if the Islanders wanted Romanov to play, they'd need to make sure his $6.25 million cap hit fits.

With this current roster, here's a projection for the forward group, defense group, and goaltending, including Romanov's hit.

Forwards: $61.07 million

Defensemen: $24.375 million

Goaltending: $9.25 million

Total: $94.69 million

That hit allows the Islanders to be compliant with the salary cap for 2025-26 at $95.5 million.

However, where things get more complicated is if the Islanders add cap ahead of the deadline. They have $6.02 million in available cap space and could use that room to upgrade their team, whether that's adding a big name to the top six of depth options.

If Romanov is activated, Soucy's $3.25 million would likely come out of the playoff lineup.

The Islanders have the room for sure, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Romanov. But his potential return is something the Islanders should keep in mind when making deals, especially if they bring in a player with a $6 million or more cap hit.