Despite a 22-goal season with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25, Jack Roslovic struggled to get the contract he was in search of last summer. The 29-year-old had interest from a number of teams, but was holding out in hopes of landing a deal with more term than what he was being offered.
One offer he reportedly turned down came from the Edmonton Oilers. After choosing to turn it down, it was thought that the Oilers, who had and continue to have limited cap space, would be out of the running. That all changed as they were playing their season opener versus 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 there was no time left for the American forward to be patient, and joining the Oilers on a one-year, prove-it deal presented the best opportunity to produce in hopes of landing a bigger contract next offseason.
The contract looked like an absolute steal in the early going. While the Oilers as a whole struggled, Roslovic was one of their most consistent forwards, registering 10 goals and 18 points through his first 23 games. A groin injury in late November, however, has changed things drastically.
Roslovic wound up missing more than a month due to the injury, and hasn’t been anywhere close to the same player since. In 20 games since returning from injury, he’s managed just four goals and no helpers, bringing his season totals to a rather mediocre 15 goals and 23 points through 43 games.
Though his play has fallen off, however, the Oilers brass seems to still be quite high on Roslovic. Bob Stauffer, who is well informed on decisions the organization is leaning towards, seemingly speculated that the two sides could, or at least should, be looking at an extension in the near future.
“I would look at extending Roslovic. I’m going to tell you right now, it’s going to be in the [$4 million] range,” Stauffer said on Oilers Now. “If you’re the Oilers, you want to keep it to a term of four years.”
Oilers Need to Be Cautious
The Oilers have had struggles finding top-six wingers over the years, which explains why they would want to hold onto Roslovic past the 2025-26 season. They were also forced to move on from some past offensive contributors in the offseason including Evander Kane, Corey Perry, and Connor Brown.
Prior to his injury, Roslovic was providing just that. It’s understandable as to why his totals have dropped off, as it’s tough for any player to miss a significant chunk of time and be up to speed immediately after returning. That said, there is reason to believe that he may have simply been riding a hot streak.
Roslovic, who was selected 25th overall in 2015, has only surpassed the 20-goal mark, as well as the 40-point barrier, twice in his career. That alone gives reason to believe that the numbers he was posting to begin the 2025-26 season were never going to be sustainable.
There’s also some red flags in the fact that Roslovic was forced to wait until the regular season had begun to sign a contract. Clearly, other teams, and even the Oilers, didn’t believe he was worth giving a long-term deal to. 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.
Given that the market wasn’t kind to Roslovic this past offseason, the Oilers would be far better to let the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign play out before signing him to any sort of extension. If he is able to get back to the level he was playing at early in the season, then perhaps the rumoured extension makes sense. If he continues to play like he has as of late, it’s a player that management can easily afford to let walk in the summer.
Oilers Need to Learn Their Lesson
What makes this all the more confusing is that this current Oilers management group has been burned by an extension recently. Following the 2024-25 season, which included a run to the Stanley Cup Final, they shocked many when they chose to sign Trent Frederic to an eight-year extension. That deal had many doubters from the get go, and is looking worse by the day. The former Boston Bruin has a disastrous three points through 53 games.
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Unless things change drastically, the Frederic extension is going to be a major problem for the Oilers as they continue to attempt bringing in more help for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There is a chance that signing Roslovic would create even more of a problem, which is why they are best off to wait for the season to conclude before they make such a deal.
