The Islanders dealt their first-round pick Thursday night in a bid to upgrade their blueline.

The Isles sent the No. 13 overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens for left-handed defenseman Alexander Romanov. The Habs also included a fourth-round pick (No. 98 overall) in the trade.

“We had an opportunity to get a 22 year old, top-four defenseman," said Islanders president of hockey operations and general manager Lou Lamoriello. "Tremendous character, tremendous competitiveness. We felt it was the right thing. We were looking for a defenseman and felt that the ones we were looking at would be gone.”

The Islanders are looking to solidify their defense following a disappointing season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Veterans Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene are not expected to be on the team.

The New Jersey Devils used the second overall pick on defenseman Simon Nemec, while the Philadelphia Flyers drafted leftwing Cutter Gauthier at No. 5.