Insider: Oilers Scrambled, Caught Off Guard By Roslovic U-Turn

Jack Roslovic’s arrival in Edmonton has quickly become one of the more interesting storylines of the young NHL season. The 27-year-old forward, coming off a 22-goal campaign, ultimately decided the Edmonton Oilers offered the best opportunity for him this season—but not before reports of other deals, some that were longer, came and went.

According to multiple insiders, including Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, several teams were in on Roslovic before he narrowed his options and began quietly signaling which destinations were off his list. He had turned down a few offers, reportedly including an earlier one from Edmonton that was three years and $4 million per season. (Friedman said he’s had a source since he denied those reports).

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Still, it sounds like there were deals there for Roslovic, and then suddenly…there weren’t.

When things went sideways and Roslovic wound up skating in Columbus with no signing imminent, he circled back to the Oilers. Edmonton was happy to have him after he agreed to sign a short-term deal at $1.5 million. Word began spreading, and his deal reached the public before all of the Oilers themselves had even been informed.

“I’m not sure the Oilers were crazy about how quick it got out,” Friedman said. “It broke in the middle of a game, and a few players on the bench found out from the scoreboard.”

That left the Oilers with little choice but to quickly confirm the signing on social media, and for GM Stan Bowman to hold an impromptu media conference in the upper media lounge in the second intermission of the Oilers’ opening night game.

Most insiders now believe the team only extended a one-year offer. Stan Bowman confirmed, “Just the one year,” when asked if there was ever talk that a one-year deal could have been more than that. He confirmed that Edmonton had been talking to Roslovic’s camp for some time, but they had essentially moved on when they thought it wouldn’t be possible within their limited budget.

The Oilers Will Have to Do Some Roster Juggling

For Edmonton, the signing comes as they juggle roster challenges, including Jake Walman’s move to injured reserve and the emergence of rookie Isaac Howard, who impressed enough in camp to earn a roster spot. Both Mattias Janmark and Walman are on injured reserve, giving Edmonton a little time. That said, it’s not much. The front office will need to do some cap gymnastics to fit everyone in once injured players return.

Roslovic has a chance to reestablish himself as a consistent top-six threat—provided the Oilers can sort out their roster puzzle as they play the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday and then get set for a trip through New York.

This, like many other “show me” deals, will give Roslovic a chance to succeed amongst some incredible offensive firepower. There is a belief that he could get an early look alongside Connor McDavid on the top line if the Trent Frederic experiment fails to produce results early this season.

Next: Roslovic Move Shows Oilers Won’t Wait, Which is Bad News for Skinner