It seemed that after the acquisition of Dakota Joshua, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be moving on to shedding players instead of adding more. According to one NHL insider, that might not be the case.
In a mid-summer check-in episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast on Sunday morning, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has rekindled the rumour of unrestricted free agent center Jack Roslovic being one of the main targets for the Maple Leafs. And despite the flurry of acquisitions for Toronto, Roslovic might still be signed.
Elliotte Friedman: Another player we talked about for Toronto was Jack Roslovic; there's still a few teams looking at him; I've heard 5 or 6 [teams]; we know with Toronto, they're trying to move money around - 32 Thoughts Podcast (8/3)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 3, 2025
As Friedman mentions, there are still plenty of teams that could use a solid middle-six center like Roslovic can be, and have room in their cap to do it. According to PuckPedia, there are 19 teams who currently have at least $3 million in cap room – the Maple Leafs are not one of them but they are also clearly on the lookout for suitors to take on players like David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok, and their contracts.
Roslovic would be an interesting addition to this Leafs team. The 28-year-old centerman is typically dependable to score at least 40 points in a full season, but is a below-average defensive talent. Essentially, are they getting another Max Domi for this team and potentially parting ways with the player currently on this team to make this lateral move.
Regardless of the logic, it seems like a potential acquisition that can happen closer to when training camp opens up for the Maple Leafs next month.
Roslovic is coming off a season where he matched his career-high of 22 goals and scored 39 points in 81 games for the Carolina Hurricanes. The center has averaged 40.5 points per 82 games through his NHL career, while playing 14:12 TOI a game.
Could Roslovic be a more stylistic fit and be the offensive counterpart to Nic Roy in the bottom six, causing a balanced approach down the middle when it comes to this team’s depth. It would mean Scott Laughton would be moving to the wing – but that is a conversation that can be had when and if this signing actually takes place. For now, we just wait to see where arguably the top remaining free agent option decides to take his talents.