Former Rangers bust living large with Rolex watch, his number back, milestone NHL goal
It’s pretty safe to say that Jack Roslovic is living his best self after an unfulfilling, short stint with the New York Rangers last season.
After scoring 20 goals the past two seasons combined (!), Roslovic netted his 20th this season for the Carolina Hurricanes in their 4-1 win Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the second time in eight NHL seasons that the underachieving winger scored at least 20, having potted 22 with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022-23.
But that’s not all. That goal Tuesday was the 100th of his NHL career, ending a long wait to reach the milestone. Nine games and more than a month since scoring No. 99 on Feb. 8 against Utah, Roslovic wired a shot past the glove of Lightning goalie Andre Vasilevskiy to score a pretty rush goal after a slick feed from Taylor Hall.
“It took a while,” Roslovic deadpanned after scoring his 20th goal of the season and 100th of his career on the same shot.
“Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, as long as the opportunities come — and I feel like they’ve been coming — you don’t get too upset. You just try to keep on shooting.”
Roslovic is third on the Hurricanes behind Seth Jarvis (26) and Sebastian Aho (24) in goal scoring and tied for seventh with 31 points. Nineteen of his 20 goals are at even strength.
Sounds like something the Rangers could use, 5v5 goal scoring. But the Rangers have been there, done that with Roslovic and let him walk as a free agent after his brief tour on Broadway last season.
Acquired ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline to play on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, Roslovic made very little impact, and even was a healthy scratch late in the regular season. He finished with eight points (three goals, fiver assists) in 19 games.
Roclovic scored his first Stanley Cup playoff goal in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Washington Capitals after 21 postseason games without a goal. He scored again two games later when the Rangers finished their sweep of the Capitals. And then a goose egg the final 12 postseason games.
When the Rangers were eliminated in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final, Roslovic was buried on the fourth line, logging just 9:09 TOI. He closed out the playoffs with eight points (two goals, six assists) in 16 games.
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Former Rangers forward lands Rolex watch, gets number back after Mikko Rantanen trade
Roslovic signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Hurricanes last July 4. He can be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Flying out of the gate with his new team, Roslovic scored nine goals by Nov. 7, 12 games into the season. He had a three-game goal streak later in November and a two-goal game against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 28, but has largely slowed his pace the past few months.
Several weeks ago, Roslovic handed over his No. 96 to Mikko Rantanen after the star forward was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Colorado Avalanche. For his troubles, Roslovic received a Rolex watch from Rantanen.
Roslovic became a two-time winner, when Rantanen was flipped ahead of the trade deadline to the Dallas Stars. That allowed Roslovic to reclaim No. 96 and keep the Rolex!
Days later came the milestone goal. Roslovic is no doubt living large.
As for the Hurricanes, they’re second in the Metropolitan Division, 12 points behind the first-place Washington Capitals and six ahead of the third-place Devils. The Rangers? They’re tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points out of the second wild card.
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