Edmonton Oilers likely to say goodbye to consistent 20 goal scoring forward

This in from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic, his take that Edmonton Oilers forward Jack Roslovic is likely headed to the open market. Roslovic, 29, is an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Said LeBrun of Roslovic: “He’s bounced around playing for four teams in the past three seasons. He ended up with the Edmonton Oilers in an Oct. 8 signing after spurning a better offer from the Oilers back on July 1 last year. The Oilers really like Roslovic, but at the moment, he’s also likely headed to market.”

Roslovic

My take

1. Jack Roslovic is a highly skilled attacker. He’s got great hands, good speed, a nasty shot and can pass the puck with skill. But he never locked down a job in the Oil’s Top 6, he’s unlikely to do so, and the Oilers have a number of young high skilled forwards in the AHL in Ike Howard, Quinn Hutson and Viljami Marjala. It would be unwise for Edmonton lavish a major contract on Roslovic.

2. Rumours came up last winter that the Oilers were keen to re-sign Roslovic after his hot start with the team. I was iffy about such a plan, given that Roslovic was a) likely to cool down and b) not a great defensive player.

Roster

As the season went on, I predicted he would find it tough in the playoffs, given he was a finesse offensive player who would struggle as the refs let more go and opposing players amped up their hitting, cross-checking and slashing. And, indeed, Roslovic had a rough 2026 playoffs against Anaheim. He had one assist in six games.

3. In a cap world, one good rule is to not overpay for veteran players heading out of their peak years, especially if you have younger, similar and cheaper players on your roster. There’s a chance that Jack Roslovic will be a 20 goal scorer for three or four years to come. There’s also a decent chance his production will start to drop off fast. Why not bet on Howard, Hutson and/or Marjala instead? One of them, given the chance, is also likely to score 15 to 20 goals next year, and just might prove out to be a better defender than Roslovic.

It’s also the case that Matt Savoie has developed for the Oilers, moved ahead of Roslovic on the depth chart, and is a good bet to score 20 or more goals next year. Why block Savoie with Roslovic?

4. Finally, the Oilers have free agent winger Kasperi Kapanen to sign as well. I like Kapanen’s physical game. He played well in the Top 6 with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin. He’s also likely to be a cheaper signing than Roslovic. Edmonton would do well to focus on a deal for Kapanen over Roslovic.