Report: Maple Leafs are interested in signing Jack Roslovic

The Toronto Maple Leafs reportedly have their sights set on signing forward Jack Roslovic, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

He mentioned the connection during the latest episode of 32 Thoughts The Podcast which was released on Sunday, discussing why he could see it as a good fit for both sides.

“ One other guy I think the least are in on is Jack Roslovic,” he said. “And it makes sense to me because he has a history with Auston Matthews.  They played together at the US National Development Team, so I could see this connection. Roslovic is also a right-hand shot. You know he is a veteran. He’s been around a long time. Matthews obviously knows him. I’m curious to see if that happens.”

The Leafs could see Roslovic as more of a middle-six forward who rotates between the second and third lines while also being versatile enough to either play up the middle or on the wing. He is coming off a 39-point season (22 goals and 17 assists), which had him sixth on the Carolina Hurricanes in scoring while adding four points (a goal and three assists) in nine playoff games.

Roslovic has been able to hover between 30 and 40 points in a good season, so anywhere within that range could be seen as a boost for the Leafs to help make up for the offence lost from Mitch Marner departing to the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s unknown if he becomes a permanent member of the top six, but his arrival would help shore up the depth nonetheless.

Friedman mentioned that one of the reasons the signing has not yet happened is that the Leafs need to clear up some cap space first before getting a deal done.

“I think one of the reasons the Leafs didn’t get [Andrew] Mangiapane was because they kind of indicated we have to move some bodies out,” he said. “And Mangiapane didn’t want to wait. So far, it looks like, at least for now, Roslovic is waiting. I assume one of them is [David] Kampf, another one could potentially be [Calle] Jarnkrok.”

The Leafs were expected to pursue Mangiapane when the market opened, according to TheLeafsNation’s Nick Alberga, but the forward ultimately signed with the Edmonton Oilers. Reports were indicating that he may not have been keen on entering the Toronto market, but Friedman’s report suggests that the actual reason was that Mangiapane wasn’t keen on waiting long and signed with the team that was ready to add him right away.

Roslovic appears to be a bit more patient, allowing the Leafs a chance to clear up some cap room in Kampf and Jarkrok. If either one of those players gets dealt soon, then you can expect a Roslovic signing to follow soon after. One player that Friedman did not mention was Nick Robertson, who filed for salary arbitration on Saturday and has recently gotten married. His hypothetical contract that he would get should not interfere with the Leafs’ potential addition of Roslovic anyway, so any potential Robertson trade would likely come afterwards.

Whether Roslovic ends up on the Leafs remains to be seen at the time of filing, but they are reportedly one of the teams that are in on him nonetheless.