Roslovic sees ‘opportunity to win’ after signing contract with Oilers

EDMONTON -- Jack Roslovic waited the entire offseason for another NHL opportunity and wants to make the most of the one he now has with the Edmonton Oilers.

The 28-year-old forward practiced with Edmonton for the first time Friday after signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract Wednesday.

“That’s going to be the theme here, is opportunity: an opportunity to win, an opportunity to play with great players,” Roslovic said Friday. “They (the Oilers) have been to the [Western] Conference Final the last two years and obviously they want to go all the way, and the fire is in me too. I want to win. I know how hard it is and it’s a great opportunity.”

Playing with forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is appealing to Roslovic, who knows the two well from his four seasons in the West with the Winnipeg Jets (2016-20).

Selected by Winnipeg in the first round (No. 25) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Roslovic has 260 points (102 goals, 158 assists) in 526 regular-season games for the Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, and 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 45 playoff games.

“It’s fun seeing those guy go to work,” Roslovic said. “You kind of have two guys like that on every team that drive and lead the way. Obviously these two are a little bit different caliber, but it’ll be fun. Going back to opportunity, it’s going to be great to see how these guys perform not just on the ice, but see them off the ice and in practice.”

Roslovic had 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 81 games for the Hurricanes last season and four points (one goal, three assists) in nine playoff games. He was not offered a contract by Carolina after his one-year, $2.8 million deal expired and became an unrestricted free agent.

Roslovic did not attend an NHL training camp this year and had been skating on his own in his hometown of Columbus, weighing the initial offer from the Oilers.

“It’s the business side of it of course, but I’m a hockey player. I don’t get into the business side of it,” Roslovic said. “It’s not fun, but it doesn’t stop you from working or keep you from moving forward, and looking forward to be a part of something.

“I’m here now, and want to focus on being here, playing well, doing things well that I bring from a hockey standpoint. That’s what the focus is. This summer was the summer, and we’re onwards and upwards.”

General manager Stan Bowman said the Oilers had been interested in signing Roslovic at the beginning of the offseason but had to wait for him to circle back after considering Edmonton’s offer.

“We were talking about the type of player we would want to be picking up around the [NHL] Trade Deadline and it was this type of player exactly,” Bowman said Wednesday. “He’s available now and he’s a free agent and if you can get him signed at a low amount, there was a lot of things that worked in our favor. So instead of waiting to see what was available, we think he could be a really nice piece right now.”

The Oilers are hoping Roslovic can provide depth scoring at even strength, where all but one of his goals were scored last season.

“We don’t need a guy to come in here and play on the power play -- Jack might be on the second power play -- but ultimately, we’re wanting secondary scoring,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday, “and Jack has shown through his career that he’s pretty good at that. I think last year with the amount of goals he’s had, he only had one or two power-play goals, but for him to contribute the way he did 5-on-5, that’s a huge bonus for us.”

The Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY), but it is unlikely Roslovic will be in the lineup. Instead, he will likely make his debut on the road. The Oilers begin a five-game trip Tuesday when they face the New York Rangers.

Roslovic said he is ready to go whenever he gets the call, despite missing all of training camp.

“I find myself in pretty good condition most training camps,” he said. “People might think I was sitting around, but I wasn’t sitting around. I was working and it’s been a whole summer process. It’s a common thing to do and be ready for an NHL season.”

Roslovic believes he can add speed and offense to Edmonton’s lineup. The Oilers are looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Final and complete the job this season after losing to the Florida Panthers the past two seasons.

“The ability to come here and have a good chance to put our names on a trophy is huge and we have to take it day by day,” Roslovic said. “It’s my first day and I’m still trying to get to know all the people, but it’s a good opportunity and something I’m looking forward to.”