The Toronto Maple Leafs have not made a significant transaction since avoiding arbitration and signing winger Nick Robertson to a one-year deal -- but they might still be lurking in the weeds and have recently been linked to a familiar face and arguably the best free agent remaining this summer.
During a Bleacher Report broadcast, NHL insider Frank Seravalli didn't want to completely waive off the notion that the Maple Leafs could still land free agent center Jack Roslovic. The player and team were heavily linked when the Leafs were trying to fill some holes at the forward position, and after making some moves, the main thought was that they would be done until training camp. Well, with the player still unsigned, they are reportedly not out of the race.
Frank Seravalli: I think the Maple Leafs are still very much in contention to get Jack Roslovic - Bleacher Report (8/22)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 24, 2025
It would, of course, be a complicated signing.
In a vacuum, adding a center that is more than capable of being in a middle-six partnership with John Tavares and just scored 22 goals while not even averaging 14 minutes a game, is something that the Maple Leafs should be figuring out how to do. But, there are multiple hurdles that the Leafs would need to leap over to put pen to paper and bring Roslovic to Toronto.
First, it's about the amount of players on the roster. There are approximately 10 forwards who should certainly be guaranteed regular, full-time spots in the lineup. The rest of the group are headlined by borderline players like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, Bobby McMann, and newly signed Nick Robertson. Those four will be fighting tooth and nail to get one of the two or three available spots on the opening night roster.
So, why add another player to the mix? Maybe it's just because he can play down the middle and if there is an injury to either Tavares or Auston Matthews, the Leafs lose a lot of their offensive potential down the middle and we would see the likes of Nicolas Roy play top-six minutes. So, signing Roslovic could potentially solve that problem but would also need some other trade or potential demotion down to the AHL for it to happen.
And not even if it was the number of players on the roster, Roslovic might be too expensive. The Leafs have approximately just a hair over $1.9 million in available cap space. Roslovic should cost more than that on whatever contract he signs before NHL training camps open up. It would then take some more maneuvering around -- trading players, sending them off on waivers -- all just to fit in a player who profiles as decent-but-not-world-changing center.
Would it even be worth it? Is Roslovic a true improvement over what they currently have? That's the big question and right now, every member of the Leafs' front office is asking that themselves every day.