Exploring Jack Roslovic’s fit on the Edmonton Oilers

For a team with as much depth at forward as the Oilers, Roslovic seems to be a promising, if unnecessary add. However, if he’s able to perform as he has in years past, Edmonton might get a great bargain for only $1.5M. So what does Roslovic bring to the table for the Oilers? And how might he slot into an already crowded forward group? Those are the questions we’ll be answering here.

Roslovic’s speed and efficiency

The Oilers are a team that thrives off speed and counter-attacking. Edmonton plays their best hockey when they attack in waves with pace, tilting the ice with speed and pushing their opponents into a defensive shell that the Oilers can then attack. In this sense, Jack Roslovic fits right in. Per NHL EDGE, Roslovic’s topped out at a 22.89mph skating speed last season with the Hurricanes, good enough for the 80th percentile of all skaters. His 518 bursts between 18–20mph were 78th percentile in the NHL, and 138 bursts of 20–22mph placed him in the 85th percentile. For a team like Edmonton which generates much of it’s offence off the rush and in the transition game, Roslovic’s speed will fit right in. The Oilers roster is a much younger, quicker unit compared to last season, and Roslovic’s addition will only assist in that.

Roslovic is also an efficient producer when it comes to putting points on the board. In 81 games with Carolina last season, he posted 22 goals and 17 assists, good for 39 points with just an average of 13:49 TOI per game. His most productive season was in 2021–22 as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he scored 22 goals and 23 assists, putting up 45 points in 81 games with an average TOI of 14:17. Roslovic’s ability to score while only playing middle-six minutes is certainly encouraging. Edmonton has long searched for consistent production from the middle of their lineup, and Roslovic has a track record to being able to produce, even when he’s not being given 20 minutes a night to do so. His 19 goals at 5v5 led the Hurricanes last season, another valuable skill that the Oilers have looked for.

Roslovic’s playing style is more pass-first than shoot-first, but with his quick skating and ability to produce in reduced minutes, he profiles as a valuable addition to an already promising Oilers lineup if all goes well. So where does he fit best in the Oilers lineup?

Where does he slot in?

Edmonton is a team suddenly flush with forwards. Even with Zach Hyman on LTIR until November and Mattias Janmark injured, the Oilers scratched Curtis Lazar in the season opener due to a lack of space. Roslovic certainly didn’t sign to eat popcorn in the press box, so where will he fit into a crowded Edmonton forward core? Likely not at centre. Roslovic has played centre at the NHL level, and was a career-best 54.1% in the dot last season, but his career average aside from that year is 44.2% He’s a right shot, so maybe he’ll see some centre time yet, but I would imagine his spot will be on the wing.

I would imagine Roslovic would get a tryout on the McDavid-Draisaitl carousel the Oilers are planning to run until Hyman’s return. Maybe he can develop some chemistry with the big guns.

Or more likely, he settles into a second/third line role and continues to produce solidly with average ice-time. Maybe a line of Andrew Mangiapane-Nugent-Hopkins-Roslovic? Or perhaps a third line of Trent Frederic-David Tomasek-Roslovic for some middle-six production? In an ideal scenario, I think Roslovic settles into the middle of the lineup as a dependable winger who can elevate if called upon. With Hyman’s return and the hopeful breaking up of McDavid and Draisaitl on the first line, I could see something like this:

That’s not even counting Janmark, Isaac Howard, Kasperi Kapanen, or Curtis Lazar in the lineup. In fact, Roslovic’s arrival in Edmonton may signal a couple of trades for the Oilers to clear some cap space and allow some players a better opportunity elsewhere. The forward core is jammed as it is, and if Roslovic succeeds like it’s very possible he can, someone will be out of a job in the middle-six.

Overall, Jack Roslovic is a worthwhile bet for the Oilers to make. At just $1.5M, Edmonton gets a career 40-point player on a prove it deal, much below what he could have commanded at the beginning of free agency.

If he hits, the Oilers get another solid producer, and maybe they re-sign Roslovic at season’s end, or let him walk elsewhere for a bigger contract. If he doesn’t succeed, $1.5M doesn’t kill you, and maybe you can move him for something.

Either way, it’s the kind of bet I like to see Edmonton make. Buying low on a player who’s shown some talent and putting him with good players in your lineup. I hope Roslovic has a great season in Edmonton, and he could definitely become a fan favourite if his production from last season keeps up.