Jack Roslovic’s start in Toronto has the Maple Leafs feeling pretty good about their offseason bet, but the old concern is still sitting there in plain sight.
The winger has jumped into a top-line spot with Auston Matthews and looked right at home early on, which is exactly the kind of jolt Toronto wanted when it handed him a two-year deal after his one-year run with the Edmonton Oilers. The connection with Matthews goes back a long way, through their time with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and the 2015 U18 World Championship, and now the two longtime friends and Team USA teammates are reunited in a much bigger role.
That reunion comes after a season in Edmonton that was useful, productive, and a little complicated all at once. Roslovic arrived on a one-year deal after the regular season had already started, then put up solid offensive totals for the Oilers.
But as the games got heavier, his usage dipped. Former Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch had trouble finding a steady fit for Roslovic’s offense without exposing some of the defensive issues that have followed him around.
Still, the numbers from that Edmonton stint were strong enough to matter. In 69 games, Roslovic scored 21 goals and added 15 assists for 36 points. He did it while averaging 15:46 a night, mostly in a second-line role, with limited power-play time outside of injury situations and a minus-9 rating.
Before heading back to Edmonton, Roslovic was asked what he took from the experience, and he made clear the Oilers left a mark on him:
“I think it was a big learning process for me, the culture was really good. I think it was the work ethic off the ice that was a big learning curve for me. I don’t want to say too many nice things, but I hope we beat them.”
That comment fits the Oilers’ environment pretty neatly. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have built a standard centered on preparation and accountability, and Roslovic said he felt that right away. For a player who has spent much of his career hearing about inconsistency and detail away from the puck, that kind of exposure may have mattered more than the point totals.
Toronto has certainly benefited from the offensive side so far. Roslovic is making $4 million annually after earning $1.5 million in Edmonton, and early returns suggest the Leafs got him at the right time.
Through 12 games, he has four goals and six assists for 10 points. He’s also playing about a minute more per game than he did with the Oilers, sitting at 16:30 per night, and he’s seen more power-play chances as well, even if he has recently moved to the second unit after earlier time with the top group.
That pace puts him well ahead of his career high of 45 points, with a path toward the 70-point range if he keeps rolling.
But that’s the part of the story Roslovic has never had trouble writing in October. The harder chapter is what happens when the season tightens up.
The playoffs have been the sticking point throughout his NHL career. Last year in Edmonton, his ice time dropped to just over 13 minutes per game once the games mattered most, as the coaches leaned on players they trusted more defensively. The year before in Carolina, he was sometimes in the press box as a healthy scratch during the playoffs.
That’s the real test hanging over this season. Roslovic has been productive and Toronto has been finding more of its footing after an uneven start, but regular-season scoring has never been the question. The bigger issue is whether the lessons from Edmonton - especially the emphasis on preparation and work ethic - translate when the games get tighter, nastier and far less forgiving.
If they do, the Maple Leafs may have landed one of the offseason’s best value signings. If Roslovic can finally bring his regular-season production into the biggest moments, Toronto will have every reason to keep him in a major role when the pressure rises.
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The catch is obvious: this kind of move does not exist in a vacuum, and the path to even getting in the conversation would depend on Nashvilles season going off the rails. If the Predators keep sliding and start considering bigger roster changes, Toronto would have to decide how far it is willing to go, with a serious pursuit likely costing a major asset such as Ben Danford or Easton Cowan. For now, it is the sort of trade rumor that says as much about the Leafs need as it does about how rare the solution might be. [Read more 🡒]