Sergachev, Romanov training together for upcoming season after meeting in Cup Final

Despite circumstances that could lead to a bitter rivalry, Russians Alexander Romanov and Mikhail Sergachev are choosing to train together for the upcoming NHL season. The two shared pictures of each other on their Instagram accounts Monday enjoying a hot beverage before hitting the ice.

Sergachev and Romanov battled each other in the Stanley Cup Final a couple of months ago with their respective teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. Following that, Sergachev criticized some Montreal fans, claiming he and his family had received hateful and threatening messages via social media. Sergachev is also a 9th overall pick of the Canadiens, although he didn't get a chance to play for the team before being shipped to Tampa in a trade for Jonathan Drouin.

This picture was taken in Russia. If you zoom in on the picture of Romanov, who can see a sign that's written in the native language. The two grew up in cities about a 1000 kilometres away from each other but almost certainly would have crossed paths in the Russian hockey system somewhere along the lines before suiting up in the NHL. Sergachev has already established himself as an excellent NHL defenceman, winning two Cups with Tampa Bay. Romanov certainly has the potential to make a big impact on the Canadiens. He did struggle a bit with the new system in his first full season in the NHL, but is still two years younger than Sergachev at 21. He has time for significant development yet.

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