Why ex-Rangers forward joined Oilers; ‘an opportunity to win’
Former New York Rangers forward Jack Roslovic is excited about the next stop in his NHL career – the Edmonton Oilers.
Roslovic, who helped the Rangers get within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final in 2024, agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Oilers late on Wednesday night. He won’t be in the lineup Saturday when the Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks after missing all of training camp, but he’s looking forward to being teammates with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two of the NHL’s biggest stars.
“It’s fun seeing those guys go to work,” Roslovic said Friday after his first practice with his new team. “You kind of have two guys like that on every team that drive and lead the way. Obviously, these two are a little bit different caliber, but it’ll be fun. Going back to opportunity, it’s going to be great to see how these guys perform not just on the ice but see them off the ice and in practice.”
The signing ends Roslovic’s wait to join a new team after he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1; he was arguably the best UFA remaining on the market. The 28-year-old switched agents after going unsigned for multiple months and was skating in Columbus, waiting to join a new team. He signed late Wednesday and was not in the lineup for the Oilers’ season-opening 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames.
The Rangers acquired Roslovic on March 8, 2024, sending a fourth-round pick in 2026 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“We think he’s a real good player,” general manager Chris Drury said after making the deal.
In 19 regular-season games with New York after the trade, the 2015 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) by the Winnipeg Jets, had eight points (three goals, five assists). He also played in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games, finishing with eight points (two goals, six assists).
The best-known of the playoff assists came on Alexander Wennberg’s overtime winner in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers. That goal gave the Rangers a 5-4 win and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series, but they lost the next three games.
However, Roslovic averaged just 13:27 of ice time during his brief time on Broadway, and the Rangers didn’t re-sign him. He started out on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider but finished his tenure on Broadway on the fourth line.
Roslovic inked a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes for 2024-25. He played 81 games with Carolina, matched his career high with 22 goals (largely because of a career-best 15.8 shooting percentage) and finished with 39 points. He was first on the ‘Canes with 34 points at 5-on-5 despite averaging just 13:49 of ice time.
But he played in just nine playoff games for Carolina, finishing with one goal and four points. The Hurricanes didn’t re-sign him — likely because he’s something of a liability defensively. Though his xGF was 50.28 percent last season, per Natural Stat Trick, the Hurricanes were outscored 55-46 with him on the ice at 5-on-5 and out-chanced 205-173 in high-danger opportunities.
Jack Roslovic excited to have new opportunity with Oilers
Roslovic has 260 points (102 goals, 158 assists) and is minus-37 in 526 regular-season NHL games. He has 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games. But he has struggled at times with consistency during his career, a big reason that he’s spent most of his time as a bottom-six forward.
“Speed, scoring,” Roslovic said when asked what he brings to the Oilers. “Try to be a buzzsaw out there, make plays – kind of the thing that everyone already knows me for – and then be a good guy in the locker room, come in and fit well, don’t disrupt and gel.”
The Oilers, who need depth scoring, see him playing a bottom-six role, likely on the wing, when he’s ready for action — he could face his old team when the Oilers come to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. That’s OK with Roslovic, who’s eager to get a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. Joining the Oilers, who’ve lost to the Florida Panthers in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, is a good bet to get that opportunity.
“That’s going to be the theme here, is opportunity: an opportunity to win, an opportunity to play with great players,” Roslovic said. “They have been to the [Western] Conference Final the last two years, and obviously, they want to go all the way, and the fire is in me, too. I want to win. I know how hard it is, and it’s a great opportunity.”
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said after the loss to the Flames that Edmonton had been in touch with Roslovic dating back to the summer, and that talks picked up in September.
“(I told his agent) ‘We love the player, but we don’t have a whole lot of money to spend right now. So, if he wants to come here and kind of bet on himself and get a bit of a chance to play, we’d love to have him.’” Bowman said. “I think he was weighing his options and came to the decision that this is the place he wanted to be.”
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