Despite a 22-goal season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25, Jack Roslovic struggled to land the contract he sought last summer. The 29-year-old had interest from a number of teams but held out in the hope of securing a deal with a longer term than what he was offered.
One offer he reportedly declined came from the Edmonton Oilers. After choosing to decline it, the thought was that the Oilers, who had and still have limited cap space, would be out of the running. That all changed when they played their season opener against the Calgary Flames.
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While that game was going on, it was announced that the Oilers had agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Roslovic. It became clear that the American forward had no time to be patient anymore, and joining the Oilers on a one-year, prove-it deal offered the best chance to produce in hopes of landing a bigger contract next season.
The contract initially seemed like an absolute bargain. While the Oilers as a whole struggled, Roslovic was one of their most consistent forwards, scoring 10 goals and 18 points in his first 23 games. However, a groin injury at the end of November drastically changed that.
Roslovic ended up missing for more than a month because of the injuryand he hasn’t been near the same player since. In the 20 games since returning from injury, he has scored just four goals and no helpers, bringing his season totals to a rather mediocre 15 goals and 23 points in 43 games.
Although his play has declined, the Oilers brass still seems to think quite highly of Roslovic. Bob Stauffer, who is well aware of the decisions the organization is leaning toward, seemingly speculated that the two sides could, or at least should, look at an expansion in the near future.
“I would look at expanding Roslovic. I’m going to tell you now that it will happen in the future.” [$4 million] range,” Stauffer said on Oilers Now. “If you’re the Oilers, you want to keep it to a four-year term.”
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The Oilers have struggled to find top-six wingers over the years, which explains why they wanted to keep Roslovic beyond the 2025-26 season. They were also forced to do it continue with some past offensive contributors in the offseason, including Evander Kane, Corey Perry and Connor Brown.
Prior to his injury, Roslovic was doing just that. It’s understandable why his totals have dropped, as it’s difficult for any player to miss a significant chunk of time and be back up to speed immediately upon returning. That said, there is reason to believe he may have just been riding a hot streak.
Roslovic, who was selected 25th overall in 2015, has surpassed the 20-goal and 40-point mark just twice in his career. That alone gives reason to believe that the numbers he published at the start of the 2025-2026 season would never be sustainable.
There are also some warning signs in the fact that Roslovic had to wait until the regular season started to sign a contract. Obviously other teams, and even the Oilers, didn’t believe he was worth signing to a long-term deal. Rushing into a four-year extension as Stauffer suggests would be a mistake, as this team needs to be very careful with their cap space going forward.
Considering the market wasn’t kind to Roslovic this past offseason, the Oilers would be far better off letting the remainder of the 2025-26 season pass before signing him to any kind of extension. If he is able to return to the level he was playing at early in the season, then the rumored extension may make sense. If he continues to play as he has of late, he is a player that management can easily afford to let go this summer.
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What makes this all the more confusing is that this current Oilers management group was recently burned by an expansion. Following the 2024-2025 season, which included reaching the Stanley Cup Final, they shocked many when they opted to sign Trent Frederic from an eight-year extension. That deal had a lot of doubts from the start and is looking worse by the day. The former Boston Bruin has a disastrous three points from 53 games.
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Unless things change drastically, the Frederic extension will a big problem for the Oilers as they continue to try to land more help for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There is a chance that signing Roslovic would cause even more problems. Therefore, it is best for them to wait until the end of the season before making such a deal.
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