“Trial” Forward’s Breakout Game Might Have Saved His Spot with the Oilers

Jack Roslovic’s tenure with the Edmonton Oilers might be classified as a “trial” test run by some insiders, but his play on the ice is starting to make a strong case for something more. The 28-year-old forward delivered his best performance in an Oilers uniform on Saturday, looking dangerous throughout and earning a promotion to the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Andrew Mangiapane. Roslovic did everything but score.

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With a no-move that converts to a four-team no-trade list in a few days, Elliotte Friedman noted on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Oilers were looking at Roslovic hard until November 1, when Zach Hyman is ready to return. “It’s almost a trial to see if everybody’s happy here, and I assume the teams on that list are the ones that were also looking at him.”

Roslovic was one of the few Edmonton forwards who consistently generated offense in a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken. He finished with three shots, one hit, one block, and a plus-1 rating in 16:33 of ice time. He didn’t score a goal, and he hasn’t yet in an Oilers uniform, but there’s something slick about his game that head coach Kris Knoblauch is starting to like.

As per the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins, when Roslovic was on the ice, the Oilers outshot Seattle 11-4, with a 14-2 edge in scoring chances and a 5-0 advantage in high-danger opportunities, according to Natural Stat Trick. His individual totals — five scoring chances and three from prime areas — led the team.

Is Roslovic Earning a Spot Over Other Oilers?

While the Oilers are struggling to score goals and their offense appears stagnant, the type of minutes Roslovic is providing is exactly what Edmonton needs. The Oilers have struggled to find consistent 5-on-5 production, and Roslovic’s blend of speed and shot volume (three or more shots in four of seven games) could help fill that gap.

If the Oilers don’t want to explore trading Roslovic and making use of his four-team trade list on November 1, it means demoting another forward. Hyman’s return likely means Roslovic moves down to the second line, with someone like David Tomasek, Ike Howard, Vasily Podkolzin, Noah Philp, or another player coming out.

For Roslovic, he wanted a chance to prove he belongs in Edmonton long term. At the very least, that one of the four teams on his list would take notice of his play and be willing to make a deal with Edmonton. He hasn’t scored, but he’s looked dangerous.

Is that enough?

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