NHL Trades and Rumors
Penguins Interested in F Jack Roslovic from Jets
The Pittsburgh Penguins are rumored to be very interested in unsigned Jets’ forward Jack Roslovic. But, what would a deal look like?
According to Sportnset’s Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins are among the teams “very interested” in Winnipeg Jets forward Jack Roslovic. The 23-year-old restricted free agent is at odds with the Jets regarding his playing future, does not have a contract and remains in Columbus awaiting a trade.
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Meanwhile, the Penguins have struggled early in the season, going 0-2 and losing two times to the Philadelphia Flyers. Considering the Penguins’ window to win is not large and general manager Jim Rutherford isn’t afraid to make in-season moves (although he did admit it would be harder considering border quarantine restrictions), Friedman wonders if there could be a fit there.
The Jets still need a top-four defenseman and while they might not get one straight across for Roslovic, it’s certainly worth asking. At the same time Mike Matheson or Cody Ceci probably won’t get it done and the Penguins would have to offer more. It’s not clear if a player like Juuso Riikola would be of interest. He’s not currently in the Penguins lineup, but he could be if moved to the Jets.
The Penguins Have to Move Salary
The question about how the Penguins would fit Roslovic into the salary cap structure is also relevant as they currently have only $1.2 million in cap space. Roslovic is likely to demand something north of $2 million per season on his next contract and if the Penguins don’t move out salary in the deal, it likely doesn’t happen.
Thus, if the Penguins don’t move a player with some salary and the Jets aren’t really willing to take someone who can’t play in their top four, how does this deal go down? Is there a third team that could get involved? If so, that really complicates things when you consider the quarantine restrictions that could come with any trade.
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