Toronto Maple Leafs: Should they sign Jack Roslovic?

Even though July 1 has come and gone, and most of the high-profile free agents have signed new contracts, there are still some unrestricted free agents up for grabs. And many fans are curious about what GM Brad Treliving’s next move will be to make the Toronto Maple Leafs better.

One of the best remaining players is Jack Roslovic. Roslovic put up 39 points in 81 games last season for the Carolina Hurricanes. He tied his career high in goals with 22.

He did very well last season on a Carolina team that has a different play style than the Leafs. They’re known for having super-skilled forwards who aren’t necessarily the biggest players, like Sebastian Aho or Logan Stankoven.

The rumours

On a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs were “linked” to Roslovic, and with the hole of Mitch Marner still needing to be filled, Roslovic could be a potential fit. Having said that, is Roslovic the kind of guy who is on the top line of a Stanley Cup-contending team? Probably not.

It makes sense because Auston Matthews has a connection to Roslovic. They played together for the USA National Team Development Program.

It could be similar to when the Buffalo Sabres tried to rekindle the chemistry between Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues.

However, that experiment didn’t work out for the Sabres as neither Eichel nor Rodrigues is currently on their roster.

Does it make sense?

The Leafs would need to make room for Roslovic. They have the salary cap space, but don’t necessarily have the roster space. So we may see them have to trade someone before they put a pen to paper.

A lot of people believe that if Roslovic comes to Toronto, the spot on the first line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies is his. However, I don’t think he’s the type of player who would be a top-six forward for a contender.

I see him as a third or fourth liner for a championship team, even though he’s proven to be a 20-goal scorer.

One thing that impresses people about Roslovic is how versatile he is. He can play anywhere in the lineup. He can play centre if needed. He’s also getting to the age where players become more complete instead of one-dimensional. As players get older, they tend to become more defensive. So he could do well under Coach Berube’s philosophy.

On the flip side, he doesn’t seem to play with a lot of competitiveness. So that may not go well, given the extra pressure that comes with playing in Toronto.

A good idea

American-born players also have a reputation for not wanting to play in Canada. For example, Rutger McGroarty, Matthew Tkachuk or Johnny Gaudreau.

However, if Roslovic is okay with playing with the extra pressure from fans and the media, I think he’d be a good fit for the Leafs.

Signing Roslovic wouldn’t break the bank, and the Leafs have the cap space available. Given he’s a 20-goal scorer, it likely won’t be a super-sized deal in terms of salary.

According to Hockey Patrol, the Leafs already have a deal in place with Roslovic, pending a salary-movement trade.

The Leafs have already made a bunch of signings; however, Michael Pezzetta seems to be the only one who will be in the lineup consistently, with most of the new additions filling out the depth of the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.

So if the rumours are true, Roslovic would be a good depth addition for the Leafs going into next season.