It’s not often that an NHL team confirms a new signing in the middle of a game, but the Edmonton Oilers’ announcement of Jack Roslovic was anything but ordinary.
The Oilers signed Jack Roslovic to a one-year, $1.5 million contract after the forward revisited earlier conversations with Edmonton and decided to accept their offer.
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Roslovic was a player the Oilers had looked at and spoken to. The only problem was, the Oilers only had so much money to spend. They liked the idea of adding a forward who had scored 22 goals and 39 points last season with the Carolina Hurricanes. They liked the idea of adding someone versatile who led their team in 5-v-5 goals last season. They really liked the idea that they might be able to get Roslovic signed to a team-friendly deal. When that opportunity presented itself in the middle of the regular-season home opener, the organization jumped.
Because of the odd timing and circumstances surrounding the deal, GM Stan Bowman made himself available during the intermission.
Bowman Discussed the Roslovic Signing
Even with a game going on, Bowman knew the media would have questions.
When asked how the deal came together:
Well, we’ve been talking to Jack going back to the summer. And I know he changed agents and I talked to his new agent about a month ago, maybe five weeks ago. We’ve been in touch the whole time and I said the same thing to him then that I did the other day when this picked back up, which was we love the player, but we don’t have a lot of money to spend right now, so if he wants to come here and kind of bet on himself and get a chance to play. We’d love to have him.-
When asked why Roslovic was still available this late into the offseason, Bowman responded:
I think he was obviously weighing his options and came to the decision that this was the place he wanted to be.-
When asked about where he sees Roslovic fitting in this Oilers' lineup, Bowman explained:
He played probably more wing last year. I think he’s played centre in the past. I think kind of in general, we like guys who have that flexibility. He’s a right-handed centre as well, if we choose to use him there. Ultimately that’ll be up to the coaches, but we think he did a little bit of both last year, probably more wing.-
When asked why now and if this was like found money, Bowman talked about doing something at the start of the season versus at the trade deadline:
We talked about it a couple of weeks ago, the type of player looking at our team that we would be wanting to look for around the trade deadline would be this type of a player exactly. And, you know, he’s available now, and he’s a free agent, and you can get him signed at a low amount. There’s a lot of things that really worked in our favour. So, instead of waiting to see what was available, we think he could be a nice piece to our group right now.-
On what Roslovic brings to the Oilers:
And he’s had a good experience as far as even strength scoring last year. I think he might’ve led their team in even-strength points last year. So, you know, that’s really an important thing. The one thing we’re trying to add to our group is even-strength scoring. Obviously, our power play has been pretty strong the last few years. We haven’t had as much success scoring when we weren’t on the power play. So, I think that’s something that Jack does really well. That was a big thing we think he's going to bring. We also like his speed. He brings a lot of quickness to his game. He can make plays, play with good players. He’s been an offensive player, and he plays at a high pace. So, I think those qualities fit perfectly with our group here.-
On when he'll join the Oilers or go on a conditioning stint:
We haven't talked about that. We'll get him in here, see how he looks. I mean, he's been skating, obviously not with an NHL team. He's played 500 games in the league. I think he's in good shape. I don't know how long it would take him to get going.-
As for where Roslovic will play:
It's up to the coaches to figure out. We've got a really talented versatile offensive player, so, we can use him in a lot of different ways, depending on if he's playing wing or center. It's just looking at options I think we're a much better team when we add someone like that to the mix.-
Roster Moves Will Have To Follow for the Oilers
The issue with adding Roslovic, even if the dollar figure makes sense and this is a low-risk signing, is that something or someone has to give. The Oilers currently have 23 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies on their active roster.
Bowman was asked if there was a roster move coming, which is obvious. Edmonton has the cap room today, but too many players when they ultimately file the Roslovic contract with the NHL. Furthermore, when they are ready to activate Zach Hyman from LTIR, another subsequent move must be made. They have too many bodies and not enough cap space for everyone when this team is healthy.
"After signing Roslovic for $1.5M, #LetsGoOilers have $326K Cap Space remaining in LTIR with 23 active (13F/8D/2G) + Roslovic + Janmark IR & Hyman LTIR. To activate Hyman, assuming everyone healthy, would need to clear $2.8M annual cap hit. That can be accomplished by sending players down."
Bowman said, "Yeah, well, we’re going to have to figure that out. We have a few ideas in mind, but we haven’t totally figured that out yet."
Troy Stecher might go down from the blue line. Curtis Lazar may go down at forward. That gets Edmonton the $1.5 million that Roslovic costs, but not enough to clear space for Hyman. Bowman did reiterate, "It fits in salary cap-wise. We thought about it like this, that we would be kicking ourselves if we looked back and he went somewhere else, and asking ourselves why didn’t we get him? We have a lot of good players now, but you’re always looking for players who are established, and we think he’s going to be a nice fit."
In other words, the Oilers will address the necessary issues immediately, then address the other parts in short order. They have a two-three weeks to get their ducks in a row.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch said there aren't many practices before the Oilers go on the road. Roslovic is expected to skate with the team Friday when they return to the ice after an off day on Thursday.
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