Maple Leafs are reportedly interested in this free-agent center

Center Jack Roslovic is one of the top unrestricted free agent names available as we near the second week of the new league year. The Toronto Maple Leafs are among the clubs interested in adding him to their roster, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Sunday’s "32 Thoughts" podcast.

Toronto’s desire for another top-nine forward is apparent as it takes a ’by committee’ approach to replacing Mitch Marner’s lost offense. They’ve been linked to other middle-six wingers like Andrew Mangiapane, but didn’t land him.

The Leafs have done reasonably well so far in building out their depth in the wake of his departure. Prime bounce back candidate Matias Maccelli was a buy-low pickup from the Mammoth, and they recouped strong two-way center Nicolas Roy in the Marner sign-and-trade with the Golden Knights. There’s still another name that’s needed in the mix, though – likely as a complementary winger on their first line with Auston Matthews or on their second with William Nylander and John Tavares.

That’s where Roslovic could come in, although his offensive ceiling isn’t as high as someone like Maccelli’s. The 28-year-old has been a consistent 30- to 40-point threat throughout the 2020s and is coming off a 22-goal showing with the Hurricanes in 2024-25, which tied his career high.

He would be a safe bet for added depth in a top-nine role and has a history of being a plays-where-needed forward. If possible, though, the Leafs would presumably want a piece with more upside.

That could still come via trade, an avenue multiple reports over the past week indicate the Leafs are open to, with nearly $5M in cap room to leverage. They don’t need to match salaries exactly, but could look to offload a marginally overpaid fringe piece like Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf in a deal for an impact piece.

The market has been mostly scoured at this stage, but there are a pair of wingers that former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, now with the Penguins, is looking to cash in on in Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. If they can put together an appealing package, far from a guarantee after parting ways with most of their draft capital at the last few trade deadlines, that would be a more preferable top-six boost than inserting Roslovic there.