Big Development on Jack Roslovic Free Agent Sweepstakes
The NHL's top remaining unrestricted free agent, Jack Roslovic, is still keeping us all guessing as to where he'll land. And while the 22-goal scorer from last season has been linked specifically to three teams, one of those clubs now seems to have dropped out of the running.
According to Thomas Drance in The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks' pursuit of Roslovic has "cooled":
Hearing the #Canucks have cooled off on pursuing late summer UFA Jack Roslovic.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) August 19, 2025
Club wants a full-time centre upgrade, and doesn’t see that player available in the UFA bargain bin. It’s going to take a trade.
More in today’s notebook via @TheAthleticNHL: https://t.co/kqRo1ijb8e
At this point, from what I can gather from senior club sources informed about the organization’s thinking on the matter, the Canucks have cooled significantly on the prospect of adding Roslovic as an unrestricted free agent at this point.
The Canucks are indeed searching for a center, but are apparently looking for a more "full-time" option, per Drance, and they don't view the bottom-six Roslovic in that vein. He has generally played more wing than center in his career.
Last season, the 28-year-old had 22 goals and 37 points in 81 games for the Carolina Hurricanes, in just 13:49 of average ice time per game.
The Canucks would love to find a legit middle-six center, and Drance suggests that the trade market is "a more likely and realistic route" in order to accomplish that, rather than the UFA market. And on that, "the club is actively kicking tires and exploring its options."
As things stand, they're looking at Elias Pettersson, Filip Chytil, Aatu Räty, and Teddy Blueger as their lineup down the middle. But the insider says they'd make a trade "today" to improve that, if they got the right offer.
As for Roslovic, he's still being linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs as a potential landing spot, and even the incumbent Hurricanes could still be in the picture.