Oilers “Really Like” 21-Goal Forward Who Is Likely Headed to Market

The Edmonton Oilers are likely going to lose Jack Roslovic to the free agency market. Or, at least they’ll have to wait to see what kind of offers he gets before getting the chance to bring him back on a team-friendly deal. This, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, who looked at all the 20-plus-goal UFAs who will be available on July 1.

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LeBrun writes:

“Roslovic is the youngest of this group at 29 and can also play center. He’s bounced around playing for four teams in the past three seasons. He ended up with the Edmonton Oilers in an Oct. 8 signing after spurning a better offer from the Oilers back on July 1 last year. The Oilers really like Roslovic, but at the moment, he’s also likely headed to market.”

So why, if the Oilers would like to keep Roslovic around, are they letting him test free agency?

One, they can’t stop him from seeing what’s out there. He did the same thing last summer, actually turning down a better deal from Edmonton and getting shut out by every other team before coming back to the Oilers to talk again. If he wants to try again, that’s what being a free agent is all about.

Two, the Oilers don’t have the funds or space on their salary cap to start offering what Roslovic might want. Edmonton has bigger issues in goal and on the blue line to deal with before they can prioritize signing a depth forward who has scoring ability. GM Stan Bowman has to ensure he gets Connor Murphy signed, figures out what a Darnell Nurse trade looks like, and deal with the goaltending situation, where only Tristan Jarry is under contract.

What Happens With Roslovic?

It will be intriguing to see how the market reacts to Roslovic. He’s clearly got skill, but the issue last season was that Carolina didn’t play him in the playoffs. That scared buyers away. The Oilers took a low-cost risk and it paid off. However, he disappeared again in the postseason. That will have to impact his value on the open market.

It’s one thing to have a player who scores 21 goals. It’s another when that same player wilts in crunch time or isn’t reliable. No team wants to pay top dollar for that player.

If the market isn’t kind to Roslovic (it might be given the lack of options), he could circle back to the Oilers. A two-year deal might make sense for both sides.

Next: Canadiens Former Starting Goalie on Oilers Offseason Trade Radar