For unrestricted free agents in the NHL, the calendar doesn’t come with a red circle. There’s no hard deadline, no official cutoff that dictates when you must sign if you want to play.
But as Jack Roslovic is discovering, the real window for cashing in can slam shut fast.
The 28-year-old center inked his first UFA deal last summer — a one-year, $2.8 million “prove it” contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. He did just that, tying his career high with 22 goals and winning faceoffs at a 54.1-percent clip, despite playing fewer than 14 minutes a night.
Jack Roslovic’s Gamble on the Free Agent Market has Proven Costly
So when Roslovic hit the market again this July, he expected stability and a raise. Instead, the best offers early on were modest two- or three-year deals worth around $3.5–$3.75 million annually, per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston on the latest episode of “The Chris Johnston Show.” Given the NHL’s rising salary cap, Roslovic’s camp figured better money was coming.
It hasn’t. Not yet. Not as of Thursday. And every day that passes, the leverage tilts further away.
“It is a cautionary tale,” Johnston explained, “and that’s why so many players, frankly, sign on July 1st or 2nd because after those first couple days – generally speaking – it gets quiet, and the money – again, generally speaking – goes down.
“You’re hoping something better is going to come along, but July 1st becomes July 4th becomes July 10th, then you get into August, and then the kind of offers that Jack Roslovic [is] getting are lower. And that’s really just because I believe the money got spent on other players. Those offers that were there for him at the start of free agency dry up.”
And that could open the door for a team looking to inject some last-minute skill into its depth chart at center. A team like the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal Could Benefit From 22-Goal Scorer Jack Roslovic Slipping Through the Cracks
The Canadiens enter the season with concerns about their secondary scoring, particularly at center. The team is known to be shopping for a second-line center, although some hope remains that Kirby Dach can be the answer. But even if Dach remains healthy and proves to be worth the wait, Montreal’s options on the other lines, such as Alex Newhook, Jake Evans and Joe Veleno, leave a bit to be desired for a team with postseason aspirations.
“The big question for Habs fans: can Dach, Newhook and Evans step up enough to solidify the middle, or will faceoffs and lack of production drag this team out of the playoffs?” asks YouTube’s “Hockey Nation Live Show.”
Perhaps Roslovic, who reportedly changed agents in recent weeks, could be what the Canadiens are looking for.
“Obviously Montreal is a team that’s talked about looking for a center,” Johnston said.
“[Roslovic] plays a position that, basically, very few teams feel great about their depth at center, right? I mean, even the good teams always are kind of looking for another third liner at that position. And that tends to be, you know, a trade deadline [acquisition.] The kind of players that get picked up are, you know, good teams looking to add a little depth on their blue line or a third line center or maybe a right shot. So, you know, I certainly think that he fits a need for those teams.”
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