The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the ground running with their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. They won their October 8th contest by a final score of 5-2. William Nylander led the way offensively with three points. Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, Calle Jarnkrok, and Morgan Rielly also scored in the win.
Elsewhere in the NHL, Jack Roslovic signed with a team that wasn’t the Maple Leafs. This could be a move that the team regrets in the near or immediate future.
Jack Roslovic Picks the Edmonton Oilers Over the Maple Leafs
Roslovic was tabbed to be the top free agent forward when free agency frenzy kicked off on July 1st. It should surprise many that the top available forward was still available on the opening night of the regular season.
The signing was announced on the Sportsnet broadcast by insider Elliotte Friedman. The team later confirmed that the Edmonton Oilers had agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Roslovic.
Roslovic was initially drafted 25th overall in 2015 by the Winnipeg Jets. The 6-foot-1, 198 lb forward has played for the Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and Carolina Hurricanes before being signed by the Oilers. Last year, he put together a 22-goal, 39-point campaign in 81 games, while averaging 13:49 per night.
One Thing Roslovic Does Really Well
GettyWill the Maple Leafs regret not signing the top free agent?
Oilers GM, Stan Bowman, spoke to the media after the team made their signing official during their game against the Calgary Flames on October 8. During that availability, he revealed why the team targeted Roslovic.
“He’s had a good experience as far as even strength scoring last year,” Bowman said to the media immediately following the Oilers’ shootout loss. “I think he might have led their team in even-strength points last year. The one thing we are trying to add to our group is even-strength scoring.”
“We haven’t had as much success scoring when we weren’t on the powerplay. I think that’s something that Jack does really well.”
Oilers’ head coach Kris Knoblauch provided more details on Roslovic’s even-strength contributions.
“Last year, believe he had 22 goals, one on the powerplay,” Knoblauch said during his post-game comments on October 8. “So that shows us that he can score five-on-five. Typically, hasn’t been much of a powerplay guy.”
Roslovic finished the 2024-25 season sixth in points and third in goals for the Hurricanes. However, he and Sebastian Aho were tied for the most even-strength goals, with 21 each.
The Maple Leafs Will Regret Letting Him Slip
GettyAuston Matthews Scores His First Goal of the 2025-26 Season
Teams can never have too many players who can contribute at even-strength. It’s impossible to play a whole game with the man advantage, so having those kinds of contributors is critical.
For the Maple Leafs, their top five even-strength goal-scorers were the usual suspects. Their top five even-strength goal scorers were Nylander (33), John Tavares (26), Matthew Knies (24), Matthews (21), and Mitch Marner (20).
Adding a player who scored the same number of even-strength goals as Matthews (albeit during a “down” season) is an opportunity you can’t pass up. This is even more true when you consider the players that the Maple Leafs added over the summer.
Nic Roy scored 13 even-strength goals last year. Dakota Joshua had five, Matias Maccelli recorded eight, while Michael Pezzetta didn’t register a single point.
It’s too late now for the Maple Leafs, who valued toughness and sandpaper over goal-scoring and speed. Maple Leafs fans will have to wait 81 more games to see if it was the right call.
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