The date is October 8, 2025, and the Edmonton Oilers are headed into the second intermission up 3-1 on the Calgary Flames. That’s when the news hits: Jack Roslovic and the Oilers agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $1.5 million.

Edmonton collapsed that evening, losing their season-opener in a shootout, but the Roslovic news added an exciting wrinkle to a roster full of uncertainty up front.

The team bet on a collection of unproven players, including David Tomasek, Isaac Howard, and Matt Savoie, to compete for spots in the middle six. As a two-time 20-goal scorer, Roslovic added proven NHL production to their forward core.

Roslovic got off to a slow start, but he caught fire in November. He scored 9 goals and 14 points during a month in which he played most of his five-on-five minutes alongside Leon Draisaitl and got a look on the top power-play unit. For a while, their cheap last-minute signing looked like a legit top-six option.

As soon as the calendar turned, however, Roslovic’s production dried up again. He scored just five goals with no assists over the next 20 games, falling out of the top six in the process. Goal scorers like Roslovic go on cold streaks all the time, so it’s important to have other tools that can help you contribute through those stretches. That’s where the issue lies with Roslovic.

While he possesses slick hands and a quick release, his defensive details leave a lot to be desired. HockeyViz rated his five-on-five defence eight percent below league average this season, and he ranked in the bottom five among Oiler forwards in goals against per hour.

Roslovic shies away from physical play at times, and he loves to blow the zone early to transition to offence as quickly as possible. He’s great at carrying the puck through the neutral zone when it makes it to him, but his eagerness can leave the Oilers outnumbered and prone to turnovers. The Oilers deployed him at centre when his game slipped next to Draisaitl, but Kris Knoblauch abandoned the experiment, and he spent most of the home stretch at right wing on the third line.

In the playoffs, Roslovic scored zero goals and one assist in six games. He’s gone quiet in the postseason before, having produced just 18 points in 51 career playoff games. For a team with Cup aspirations, that has to be a concern moving forward.

Overall, Roslovic provided immense value for the Oilers at $1.5 million. He played with pace and had a finishing touch that created secondary scoring. At the same time, he will command a significant pay raise as he looks for a new contract this summer.

Given the Oilers’ need for more consistency in their defensive play, I would not expect them to open their chequebooks for a skilled but one-dimensional forward. Unless he takes another team-friendly deal, Roslovic may end up being a one-year stopgap for Edmonton.