Jack Roslovic is a member of the Maple Leafs after talks about him joining extended back to last summer, but his signing brings a lot more than just extra firepower.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed their first free agent when free agency opened up on July 1, it wasn't that blockbuster splash fans were expecting, but instead a move to bring in a player who has had ties to the team since last summer; Jack Roslovic.
After a second-straight 20+ goal season (first in Carolina, then Edmonton), he's shown that he can be an offensive threat despite his defensive shortcomings and with the proper protection he could thrive with Toronto in any capacity.
He's versatile enough to play wing and centre, move up and down all four lines, and can play the power-play a bit as well.
Toronto signed Jack Roslovic not only for his 20-goal potential but his closeness with the captain
But there's clearly one massive reason the Maple Leafs decided to take a gamble on Roslovic, and it makes perfect sense - his friendship and chemistry with Auston Matthews.
This was the main focal point of Roslovic's signing rumours last summer, as the Maple Leafs were looking for a new sidekick after Mitch Marner left town and bringing in the familiar Roslovic seemed like a slam dunk.
He didn't take the bait though and signed a one-year deal with the Oilers instead. He made the most of it with 36 points in 69 games with 21 goals including four on the power-play, and it translated into a new two-year deal with the Maple Leafs.
But Roslovic is not only excited for a start with the Maple Leafs but the fact he's getting to play with his old friend he's known over a decade:
Stoked. It's going to be awesome. Really familiar with his game, really familiar with the person and who he is as a guy and a leader. I've seen him grow in a lot of ways and I've been able to be on his journey a little bit from the outside.
Every time we get the chance to talk, it's always been super easy. Just feels like we left off where we started.
-
That's a genuinely heartwarming bit of sentiment on Roslovic's behalf and it's clear that while winning is important, so is the chance to play with his old buddy and rekindle some chemistry.
Jack Roslovic and Auston Matthews trying to turn their decade of friendship into a dominant duo
Roslovic and Matthews were like two peas in a pod when it came to the USNTDP as both men were #1 and #2 in scoring back in 2015; Matthews leading the charge with 48 points in 24 games while Roslovic was right behind him with 38 points in 25 games.
He ranked ahead of names like Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, Adam Fox, and former Maple Leafs prospect Jeremy Bracco and he'll only become better if he gets the chance to play with Matthews.
While it's hard to see Roslovic as a top-line player, the fact he's next to Matthews may lead to him being more consistent, plus with Matthews and either Matthew Knies or Gavin McKenna on his wing, he'll be protected a lot more defensively (especially with the revamped blueline).
It's not a guarantee that Roslovic will come in and immediately be impactful with Matthews, and we do still need to see how head coach Jim Hiller is going to play his cards, whether he wants McKenna on Matthews' wing, use William Nylander there, or some combination we haven't thought of yet.
But what's important is that Matthews is being surrounded not only by winners like Sergei Bobrovsky and Nick Paul, but that he's getting people he can trust and has been able to depend on for a long time.
The goal this summer was to convince Auston Matthews they cared about him, and signing Jack Roslovic may have just been their biggest move to do so.
Do you think Jack Roslovic was a good or bad signing for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
An unknown 23-year-old kept scoring on the McKenna line at Leafs dev camp