Two sides of a signing: Can Oilers get most out of motivated Jack Roslovic?

EDMONTON — There are two sides to every acquisition, and there are definitely two sides — or more — to the National Hockey League career of Jack Roslovic.

He is a gifted first-rounder whose NHL path — as he joins his fifth organization in nine NHL seasons — now shades towards journeyman status.

He tied Sebastien Aho for the team lead in even strength goals (21) last season in Carolina, but come playoff time head coach Rod Brindâ€Amour made Roslovic a healthy scratch for six of 15 post-season games.

He finished third on the Canes in goals (22) and sixth in points (39), but Roslovic was also dead last in plus-minus at minus-10.

Roslovic, 28, skated with the Edmonton Oilers for the first time at Fridayâ€s practice, after signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract as a free agent this week. He is expected to get into the lineup during next weekâ€s Eastern road swing — but not Saturday night versus the Vancouver Canucks.

“The theme of the day is opportunity,†he told the media upon his arrival. “An opportunity to win, an opportunity to play with great players. Iâ€ve been to the Conference Finals the last two years too. The fire is in me too. I want to win it.â€

So we bring you, Two Sides of a Signing — Jack Comes Back (To Western Canada).

• Roslovic was a first round pick of the Winnipeg Jets for a reason: Heâ€s fast, committed to fitness, has good size and has an above-average shot.

He has been described as a guy who can pick up speed while not even striding, so smooth is his gait. That slick stride has not taken him into the hard areas nearly enough over a 526-game career however, to convince one of his previous four NHL teams not to move in a different direction at some point.

• Edmonton GM Stan Bowman referenced Roslovicâ€s value as a five-on-five scorer, an area where the Oilers can always use some help. He had 21 even-strength tucks last season. As a comparable, Connor McDavid had 17.

In nine playoff games last spring, however, Roslovic had one goal — on the power play. In 16 games during the Rangers playoff run two years ago, Roslovic scored twice — both on the power play.

So, in 45 NHL playoff games, Roslovic has not scored an even-strength goal.

Does his game vanish when the going gets tough? The stats say “yes,†though the Oilers hope the answer is “no.â€

• Ask around, and the scouting report on Roslovic is as stated above — as the games get harder, his impact diminishes. The fact that Brindâ€Amour chose to replace Roslovic in his playoff lineup with the much-travelled Mark Jankowski — not known as a gritty player himself — last spring is telling.

Roslovic tired of his lot in Winnipeg and was eventually thrown in with Patrik Laine in a deal to his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets. Three seasons later the Jackets moved him to New York for a fourth-round pick.

The Rangers chose to let Roslovic walk, and he signed as a free agent with Carolina. The Hurricanes came to the same conclusion as New York, and Roslovic ended up without a contract as the current NHL season began — 32 teams all taking a pass.

The good news? He could not be more highly motivated to have a great season, on a one-year deal with Edmonton that includes a no movement clause and a tiny four-team window of teams he can be traded to.

“The summer is the summer. Weâ€re onwards and upwards,†said Roslovic, who fired agent Claude Lemieux after going unsigned this summer. “Itâ€s a great to be in a place where youâ€re wanted, where they see a fit.

“Iâ€m familiar with Canada, familiar with the market, familiar with you (media) guys… To have a good chance to come here and put our names on a trophy is huge.â€

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