The Jack Roslovic-Auston Matthews connection has been played up often since Roslovic signed in Toronto on July 1.
The two played together for the USNTDP over a decade ago, finishing first and second in team scoring on a loaded roster that also included Matthew Tkachuk, Clayton Keller, and Tage Thompson. They remain friends, and Roslovic gives Matthews a natural right-shot option on his wing, so it is easy to fantasize about the reunion producing instant chemistry.
That said, Roslovic is now 29, has played in Winnipeg, Columbus, New York, Carolina, and Edmonton, and has a fairly well-established NHL track record by this point. He is a fast, skilled, right-shot forward who can carry the puck, find open space, and finish well enough to provide legitimate secondary scoring. He has scored 20 or more goals in three of the past five seasons, including each of the last two, and is capable of going on the type of heater that can help a team through the grind of a long 84-game regular season.
Roslovic is also streaky, not overly physical, has never consistently driven a line, and owns an underwhelming record of five-on-five results. He has never finished an NHL season with a positive goal differential at five-on-five, although he has broken even three times. For a player with his speed and skill who has played for five teams including some contenders, it is a difficult trend to ignore.
The Leafs signed Roslovic to a two-year contract worth $4 million AAV, in search of more speed, a natural right shot, and supplemental five-on-five scoring beyond their stars. He should be able to help in those areas; the challenge will be finding a role that accentuates the strengths but recognizes the limitations.
Roslovic’s stop in Carolina
Roslovic signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with Carolina before the 2024-25 season. On paper, it made sense as a fit; the Hurricanes play with pace, apply aggressive puck pressure all over the ice, and spend plenty of time in the offensive zone/are well structured enough to insulate some defensive weaknesses.
He started the season alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Martin Necas before moving onto Carolina’s top line with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Roslovic took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring nine goals in his first 12 games, including two goals in a November 7 win over Pittsburgh. The shooting percentage was obviously unsustainable—he was shooting 27.3 percent at one point—but the early success was not entirely puck luck-driven. Six of the nine goals came from the slot or around the front of the net. By Christmas, he was tied for the team lead in goals (14), 13 of which came at even strength.
The production inevitably cooled off, and Roslovic moved around the lineup as the season progressed. He ultimately finished with 22 goals and 39 points in 81 games while averaging a little under 14 minutes per night. It was the second 20-goal season of his career and his highest goal total since potting 22 for Columbus in 2021-22.
Roslovic proved capable of complementing high-end players, finishing opportunities, and providing scoring in bursts, but he did not establish himself as a permanent solution at the top of the lineup or consistently drive his own line lower in the lineup. He contributed one goal and four points in nine playoff games as Carolina advanced through the opening round.
It was a decent overall season at a reasonable price, but it wasn’t convincing anyone that he is a bona fide top-six forward. He is an obvious threat with his speed and finishing ability, but he does not consistently contribute enough defensively or physically to remain there when the offense dries up.
Despite interest from the Leafs and other teams, Roslovic probably overplayed his hand early in free agency; Chris Johnston reported at the time that Roslovic was initially offered deals in the two-to-three-year range with AAVs between $3.5M and $3.75M. He remained unsigned through the entire offseason and eventually joined Edmonton on a one-year, $1.5 million contract on October 8.
Another heater, another shifting role in Edmonton
Signing after the season had already begun placed Roslovic behind the eight ball immediately. He did not participate in a training camp or play any preseason games, and he produced only one point in his first seven appearances.
Once he found his legs, he moved quickly up Edmonton’s lineup. Roslovic initially played in the bottom six before receiving opportunities alongside Leon Draisaitl and, for a time, on a loaded top line with Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. With Zach Hyman unavailable, he also earned a look on the first power-play unit as a right-handed option.
Roslovic could keep up with the Oilers’ stars, find open ice, and finish the chances they created. After producing one point in his first seven games, Roslovic recorded 17 in his next 16. He scored nine goals and 14 points in November alone, spending most of his five-on-five minutes that month alongside Draisaitl. He briefly climbed into a tie for Edmonton’s lead with seven even-strength goals during his heater, and by the end of November, the Oilers’ goal-scoring leaders were: Leon Draisaitl: 13, Connor McDavid 11, and Jack Roslovic 10.
The run ended abruptly when Roslovic took a puck to the groin and required surgery, costing him 11 games. He returned shortly before Christmas but struggled to regain his previous rhythm, producing six points in his next 22 games. He eventually regrouped a little bit after the Olympic break, recording 12 points over his final 24 games.
Roslovic finished the season with 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games. Given the lack of training camp, the injury, and his $1.5 million cap hit, Edmonton received good value from the signing, but the shifting role again told the larger story.
Edmonton also experimented with Roslovic at center during the winter, including stretches between younger wingers in the bottom six, but he moved predominantly back to the wing down the stretch. His role remained fluid: He received further top-six opportunities on Draisaitl’s right side, spent a chunk of time at third-line right wing, and at one point shifted to the left of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
His 2026 postseason wasn’t much to write home about. He returned to the bottom-six and recorded one assist and no goals in six games, bringing his career playoff production to just 18 points in 51 games.
Roslovic’s fit for the Leafs in 2026-27
Notably, Roslovic can take faceoffs—he has won over 53 percent of them in each of the past two seasons—and fill in at center during a game or an injury crunch, but the wing is the more natural fit for his game.
The safest projection is as a middle-six right winger who can move up the lineup when he is firing and/or when the coaching staff wants an injection of speed and finish onto a top-six line. He will help improve the Leafs‘ team speed, which took a further hit when Bobby McMann left town. Roslovic is a burner who can transport the puck through the neutral zone and is much more threatening attacking off the rush than a slower, more methodical wing option like the departed Matias Maccelli, who plugged into the Leafs‘ top six throughout last season.
William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok were the Leafs’ only natural right-shot wingers last year, which meant several left-handed players saw notable time on their off wing (Domi, Maccelli, Robertson, etc). Roslovic provides Jim Hiller with a more natural option on the right side alongside any of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, or Nick Paul.
There will inevitably be interest in trying him with Matthews. It is worth exploring, especially early in the season if Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan are still finding their levels in the lineup. We should not assume it will (or should) become a permanent arrangement, though.
Roslovic has received opportunities with Sebastian Aho, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl over the past two seasons. He produced during stretches with all three, but he did not permanently establish himself beside any of them. Playing with top centers will naturally elevate his offense, but it has not erased his defensive limitations, lack of physicality, and spells of inconsistency thus far.
The handedness and style of play are notably different, but the Matthews-Roslovic combination could end up similar to the Matthews-Domi one: some offensive chemistry that sparks nicely at points over a long season, but probably not a serious option when push comes to shove.
It remains to be seen if the Leafs allocated their offseason resources optimally here. In a vacuum, Roslovic’s $4 million cap hit is perfectly reasonable if he scores another 20 goals, and the two-year term limits the risk. Still, could the combined cap space committed to Roslovic and Colton Sissons have been better allocated toward a more established top-six forward? The path the Leafs chose places more eggs in the basket of a McKenna or Cowan playing like a not-in-over-their-head-at-five-on-five top-six producer sooner than later.
If Roslovic provides speed, catches fire a couple of times during the season, and finishes somewhere around 20 goals scored primarily at even strength, he will earn his paycheque. His ability to move between lines and temporarily complement high-end players should also give Hiller flexibility while the forward group sorts itself out. His history in Carolina and Edmonton shows that he can look at home beside elite players for weeks at a time and add a legitimate five-on-five scoring punch, but it also shows why those teams eventually moved him back down the lineup.
Roslovic is talented enough to tease something more, but his track record is clear enough that the Leafs should know what they signed: a streaky middle-six scorer whose speed and right-handed shot fill real needs for them if used correctly.
