The Carolina Hurricanes have made some moves in NHL Free Agency. Carolina lost Brett Pesce on the open market as part of a slew of players who found new homes. The Hurricanes did sign Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere to make up for it. However, Carolina's forward depth took a major hit. On Wednesday night, though, they turned to Jack Roslovic for help.
The Hurricanes are reportedly signing Roslovic in NHL Free Agency, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. At this time, the exact contract details are unknown. The veteran forward was projected to earn a three-year contract worth a little more than $3 million per season, according to AFPAnalytics.
Roslovic split the 2023-24 season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers. Columbus traded him to the Rangers at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline in March. Overall, the Columbus native scored nine goals and 31 points in the regular season. He added two goals and eight points in 16 playoff games for the Rangers.
What Jack Roslovic brings to Hurricanes
Jack Roslovic holds some intrigue as a middle-six forward. He can certainly provide offense, but not enough to play a consistent top-six role. Additionally, he provides valuable positional versatility. Roslovic is a natural center who can play on the wing as a right-shot forward.
That said, there are concerns, as well. Roslovic can provide secondary scoring to teams. However, his underlying metrics show that he is overperforming a bit. The Columbus native finished the 2023-24 campaign with five offensive goals above replacement, according to Evolving Hockey. But he had an expected offensive goals above replacement of just 2.5.
Furthermore, Roslovic is not the greatest player defensively. The 27-year-old finished this past season with 0.1 defensive goals above replacement and -0.7 expected defensive goals above replacement. This past season saw Roslovic start just 9.5% of his shifts in the defensive zone compared to 14.2% and 19.9% starting in the offensive and neutral zone, respectively.
With the Hurricanes, Roslovic could be deployed on the left wing. It's not a position that he has played, but it's an area of need for Carolina. Wingers Stefan Noesen and Teuvo Teravainen left the team in NHL Free Agency. Adding Roslovic to the roster helps offset the loss of the impact those players make. Carolina could also try the Columbus native at center if need be.
Overall, Roslovic provides additional scoring to the middle of Carolina's lineup. He isn't a defensive dynamo, and there is concern about an offensive regression. But if all goes well, he should be inexpensive and may even help the Hurricanes power play during his tenure.
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