Jack Roslovic's reason for choosing the Maple Leafs will sting Oilers fans
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Roslovic says he signed with Toronto because the team is ready to win now, a comment Oilers fans are reading as a shot at his old club.
Toronto now looks primed to win, and Jack Roslovic wasted no time saying so.
He knows something about coming up short too, after spending last season in Edmonton watching the Oilers fall short of the Cup once again.
Roslovic joined TSN's OverDrive on Thursday and broke down why he chose the Maple Leafs this summer.
He pointed to the mix of a retooled roster, a younger core and a style of play that excited him enough to sign a two year deal worth four million a season.
He also mentioned the readiness to compete right away, language that hockey fans immediately connected to his one year stop in Edmonton, a team that has come agonizingly close to a Cup without closing the deal.
A pointed choice of words
Nothing Roslovic said was framed as a shot at his former team.
But the timing and the phrasing landed that way anyway.
"They've been a team that you could say didn't have their best year last year. But it's a team that is new, it's young, it's vibrant, it's ready to win. A couple familiar faces around, a really good style of hockey that's exciting, and I just wanted to be a part of it.”
With some new faces around, it creates a little bit more in the department of camaraderie. But I think that's never a bad thing for anyone,” he said. “ I think we're all super excited about being able to do that, and I think that the core group that's been here for many years is excited about it as well. The ability to keep on pushing as fast as we can start pushing the ship with them, it's gonna be really fun.”
- Jack Roslovic
With some new faces around, it creates a little bit more in the department of camaraderie. But I think that's never a bad thing for anyone,” he said. “ I think we're all super excited about being able to do that, and I think that the core group that's been here for many years is excited about it as well. The ability to keep on pushing as fast as we can start pushing the ship with them, it's gonna be really fun.”
- Jack Roslovic
Coming off a season where the Oilers again fell short of the ultimate goal, a fresh free agent talking about wanting a team that is finally ready to win invites that comparison whether he meant it that way or not.
Roslovic also touched on settling into Toronto early and building chemistry before training camp, something he says matters given how many new faces the Leafs added this offseason.
A familiar face waiting in Toronto
Part of the appeal for Roslovic is reuniting with Auston Matthews, a former USA Hockey National Team Development Program teammate.
Roslovic spoke about watching Matthews grow into the captain role and said getting to play alongside him again is a major draw as he enters the middle stage of his career still chasing a championship.
For Edmonton, it is one more offseason departure to digest.
For Toronto, it is another veteran who believes the pieces are finally in place.
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