Capitals Have Reportedly Looked Into Jack Roslovic; What's Next For Them In Free Agency?
The Washington Capitals have been pondering all of their options through a relatively quiet start to the offseason, and Jack Roslovic is apparently one of them.
The Washington Capitals have been pondering all of their options through a relatively quiet start to the offseason, but they’re not done exploring their paths forward.
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Capitals have taken a look at free agent center Jack Roslovic, who remains unsigned.
“We’ll see what goes on there,” Friedman said.
Roslovic is coming off a decent season with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he put up 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points in 81 games, along with 10 penalty minutes and a minus-10 rating.
The 28-year-old is known for his speed and playmaking ability, and he’s shown that he’s able to score goals and be an X-factor. He can win draws and play on the power play, and he’s still working to hit his stride. The only thing he needs to work on is consistency.
When it comes down to it, Roslovic could give the Capitals an experienced and reliable third-line center option who can bring a new look to the table and even chip in on special teams.
However, Washington isn’t just going to bring in Roslovic for the sake of having another NHL player at the ready to open the season up front. There are several prospects expected to compete for a roster spot, and the third-line center role is Connor McMichael’s to lose.
That said, general manager Chris Patrick is considering all his options, and it’s more likely he looks to the trade market rather than free agency if he makes another acquisition.
“You never want to say nothing’s possible, but we got to the point fairly early in free agency where we’d be looking at names, and it was, ‘Is this guy better than X young player in our organization?’ That’s what we’re kind of weighing,” Patrick said, adding, “We’re at a point where if we’re bringing in a guy just to bring in a guy because he’s played in the NHL before, he’s going to end up blocking one of our younger guys that might end up having a bigger, more positive impact on the team.”
The Capitals have $4.125 million in remaining projected cap space, and from the sound of it, appear set to see how the youth in the system do in filling the void.