In every sport during free agency, there is one guy who is surprisingly left standing when the contracts stop. Usually, there are several reasons for this, which we will soon discuss. This year in the NHL, the guy left standing is Jack Roslovic. He has yet to find a team to sign with. With this in mind, does it make sense for the Flyers to sign him?
So, let's examine the reasons why he hasn't been signed yet. The first one is that he isn't a good scorer. Traditionally, he hasn't been. However, this past year for the Hurricanes, he scored 22 goals. That's the second time he's tallied 22 goals, with the other being in 2021-22 for the Blue Jackets. That was also part of a four-year run where he scored 10+ goals. So, he's not a prolific scorer, but 22 goals isn't anything to sneeze at. It could be a fluke or maybe he meshed well with his teammates.
Is he too old? Well, he's 28. He's younger than Christian Dvorak. He's younger than many of the other veteran centers who signed bigger contracts. So, that's not it.
Is he injury-prone? Now we are starting to hit on something. He missed 21 games due to an ankle injury at the end of 2023. The following year, he appeared in just 19 games thanks to an upper-body injury while a member of the Rangers. But this past season, he missed one game due to an elbow injury and played through it. So, while there is an injury history, it isn't prolific. He had a bad streak for a little while, but it hasn't seemed to follow him.
Is he a locker room problem? From what I looked up, no. He may have had some issues while being a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but then again, it's hard not to find a member of that organization that that label hasn't been affixed to. Nothing I could find has suggested he has been an issue.
Are his contract demands too high? We don't know, publicly, what they are. Last year, he earned $2.8 million on a one-year deal with Carolina. I'm sure he'd prefer a multi-year deal worth more than what he made. Still, a salary of $3 to $4.5 million wouldn't be out of the question. To be fair, around $3.5-$3.75 wouldn't be a bad contract for him. If he wanted to sign a prove-it deal, he could do a one or two-year deal and cash out if he follows up his 2024-25 season with two more just like it. But overall, a team wouldn't have to break the bank on him.
As of right now, he is apparently "weighing" his options from the KHL and NHL. Supposedly, the Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Penguins, and Canucks are among the teams kicking the tires on him. Maybe he is looking to see where he fits best or which team has a better chance of making the postseason.
Does Roslovic Make Sense for the Flyers?
So, I personally wouldn't mind seeing him on the team. The issue is, where do you put him? He's a center, but the Flyers already have Sean Couturier and Christian Dvorak. Noah Cates has played well at center, but he could also play left wing in a pinch. Trevor Zegras was acquired to see if he can play a spell at center, too. You also have Rodrigo Abols helming the fourth line job. That's five guys who can play center. And if Cates is doing a good thing at center, you don't want to move him unless it is totally necessary.
Roslovic can also play right wing. That's out. The Flyers already have a plethora of right-wingers on the team, so he wouldn't fit in there. And while Dvorak can also play left wing, Dvorak has a 53% faceoff winning percentage; Roslovic has a 44% win percentage in the circle. That's not great.
If someone gets hurt, I could see signing Roslovic. However, if he is looking for a long-term deal, even a three or four-year contract, that would block up-and-coming centers like Jett Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt from joining the Flyers and hindering their development.
While Roslovic is a good player and would be a good addition, in general to this team, in practicality, it doesn't make sense. His scoring touch is negated by his poor performance in the faceoff circle. He'd also be blocking some young guns the Flyers could use soon.
It's unlikely he would fit in well in Philadelphia.