PROJECTED LINEUP: Roslovic to debut as Oilers begin road trip against Rangers

NEW YORK, NY – There's a new debut set to hit the stage on Broadway.

Winger Jack Roslovic will make his Blue & Orange debut on the second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins & Matt Savoie on Tuesday night when the Edmonton Oilers visit Madison Square Garden to begin a five-game road trip against the New York Rangers.

"Hopefully, we can create a good identity and be able to produce and keep the puck out of our net," Roslovic said pre-game. "So really just try to dive in headfirst here, but we'll see what we can build here soon."

The 28-year-old will suit up for the first time in competitive action with the Oilers since signing his one-year, $1.5 million contract on Oct. 8 and taking some time to adjust to his new surroundings. The first road trip of the season is great for acclimating to new teammates, and Roslovic said it's been an easy transition thanks to the leaders in the locker room who've helped bring him up to speed in quick succession.

"The guys have been welcoming and it's been an easy locker room to come into, so it's been great in that regard," Roslovic said. " It's always nice to start on the road to get guys around each other, so it's good to get that out of the way early."

"I think they do a really good job at being able to take guys in," he added. "It's a great core of guys that know how to adapt to new faces and bring them in stuff. Like I said, starting on the road will be great to be able to see guys, meet the guys and do some bonding."

Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is hoping that Roslovic can add some even-strength scoring and speed to their lineup after the Columbus, OH product recorded 21 of his 22 goals last season with the Carolina Hurricanes at five-on-five and finished in the top 80th percentile for max skating speed and bursts over 20 miles per hour, as per NHL Edge player tracking data.

Roslovic played 19 games with the Rangers during the 2023-24 season and registered three goals and five assists, plus a further two goals and six assists in 16 playoff games in the first of two straight trips to the Eastern Conference Final before he did it last season as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.

"When we signed him, we wanted somebody to provide a little offence. He's done that, especially five-on-five. But adding some speed to our lineup is imperative," Knoblauch said. "I think we can always get faster, a little bit stronger, and I think with his secondary scoring that he's done and also the way he skates, he's a nice addition to our team."

Andrew Mangiapane, who's scored two goals in his first two games with the Oilers, will get the promotion to the top line and play alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after impressing Coach Knoblauch by showing his prowess early on as a former 35-goal scorer with the Calgary Flames in 2021-22.

"I feel comfortable," Mangiapane said. "I think that just goes to show how good the group guys are here and the coaching staff. They made me feel welcome right away so I could just go out there and just be myself and just play my game, and that's what we're doing here. It's been great."

Coach Knoblauch has a few more complementary players at his disposal to link up with the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins up front, and even on defence with Alec Regula, who won't suit up tonight and will be replaced by Troy Stecher after taking a hit from Evander Kane in Saturday's victory over the Canucks on home ice.

The task for the bench boss becomes finding the right combinations to get the most out of his stacked lineup that will only get stronger in the coming days and weeks with the impending returns of Jake Walman, Mattias Janmark and Zach Hyman, who are all currently on Injured Reserve.

"Our main players are Nugent, Hopkins, Nurse, McDavid, and Draisaitl. Those guys have been with the team for such a long period of time, and they're the pillars of our team, of course, but we've had a lot of turnover," Knoblauch said. "I think we have seven new forwards, if not eight that are new to this group. That's been good for adding some different energy to our team. Not that the other guys were bad. Just when you have younger players, it provides a little bit of energy throughout the regular season and some enthusiasm. I think it's been a good fit so far.

"I think everyone's been contributing, and as a coach, you just have to try to manage or figure out how everyone fits together. We're early on in the season, and there'll still be some moving parts, but I feel like we've got some good players to work with."

With more players comes more lineup decisions, however, and Knoblauch's coaching staff will have some tough choices to make each night based on who comes in and out – starting on Tuesday with their visit to the Rangers to begin this lengthy five-game road trip.

Trent Frederic will drop to the third line to play centre between Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin, meaning that Noah Philp, who notched his first career NHL goal with the Oilers on Saturday against the Canucks, will be a healthy scratch based on his lack of a special teams role rather than his performance.

"A difficult decision," he affirmed. "It's difficult to take anybody out. He scored, but we just felt that moving the lines around, he's somebody that's not on special teams, and that's probably the biggest reason why he was the guy that came out."

The Oilers are expected to get more players back during the road trip in Walman, Regula and Janmark, who are all currently unavailable but trending towards quick returns by as soon as this weekend's back-to-back games against the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings.

"Janmark possibly by the weekend," Knoblauch said. "Walman, we're hopeful that he can play the next game, and Hyman at the end of the month. Regula we hope can return sometime during this trip."

Goaltender Stuart Skinner was between the pipes at this morning's skate and will get the start against the Rangers.

View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. the Rangers below:

Draisaitl - McDavid - Mangiapane
Savoie - Nugent-Hopkins - Roslovic
Podkolzin - Frederic - Kapanen
Howard - Henrique - Tomasek

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Stecher
Kulak - Emberson

Skinner
Pickard