Winnipeg Jets: Can Jack Roslovic Fill the Center Vacancy?
The Winnipeg Jets know depth is among their best strengths, but the center position is up in the air a bit. Among the options? The 21 year old Jack Roslovic.
The Winnipeg Jets used mostly Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little and Paul Stastny in the top nine center positions. Before the trade for Stastny, Adam Lowry and Andrew Copp would split some time.
I’m not super worried about the fourth line center. The Jets will find one, and he’s probably already on the roster. Lowry (RFA), Copp, Matt Hendricks (UFA) and Mathieu Perreault can fill in if needed. That is, if the Jets decide they still want the FAs around. Lowry is a pretty good bet to stay, but who knows about Hendricks?
Fourth line grinders bounce around more than players off of Dustin Byfuglien‘s checks. But up top? Paul Stastny was a rental, so he’s a UFA. Maybe the Jets decide they want to bring him back, maybe they don’t. Who knows? I doubt they’ll give him $7 million annually, which was his previous contract.
Maybe Stastny decided he’s made enough money and takes a discount to sign for a no-doubt contender. He’s getting toward the back nine of his career, he’s made over $60 million in his career and he’s never won a Stanley Cup. Whatever, we’ll get into this another time.
More from Analysis
- Winnipeg Jets vs. Blackhawks Round 3: 5 Things We learned
- Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck is the Best Goalie of the Last 5 Years
- A Patrik Laine Trade Redux Prior to Winnipeg Jets vs. Columbus
- Winnipeg Jets Doppelgangers: Look-A-Likes PART II
- Can Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets Actually Win the Norris?
Bryan Little is a nice little (unintentional) insurance policy here. Little spent a lot of time as the Winnipeg Jets second center before the Stastny trade. His performance, however, was probably the catalyst for said trade. But maybe it was an aberration, and he’ll get back to being good next season. I don’t know if a team in contention can count on that, though. Well, I actually know that they won’t.
A team playing for a Stanley Cup rarely has time to let a 21 year old develop on the fly. Kyle Connor came up and forced the Jets to give him more playing time, and Jack Roslovic will have to do the same.
Between Bryan Little, though, and Roslovic, the next breakout candidate for Winnipeg, maybe the Jets can fill their current center gap. Roslovic played in 31 games this past year, which is more than I remember. He scored five goals and had fourteen points while playing in limited minutes and getting his feet wet.
If he doesn’t blow them away in training camp, Winnipeg can plug Bryan Little in and give Roslovic more time in the AHL or on a lower line. If they don’t acquire someone in the offseason to play the middle, which I doubt they choose to avoid doing, they can reevaluate midseason and make another trade.
The Winnipeg Jets want Jack Roslovic to take the next step. That much is obvious. It would greatly help this team moving forward. The depth on the wings is incredible, but without Stastny, the pivot men take a deep dive after Mark Scheifele.
Roslovic is your typical pivot, too. He plays a two way game and he’s more of a pass-first, shoot-second type of player. That being said, his offensive ceiling is still high. Roslovic could be a Blake Wheeler type, scoring when he needs to but passing whenever possible. He’s also an option playing the point on the powerplay, and should get some second unit time moving forward.
He needs a bit more weight on his frame, but what 21 year old forward doesn’t? His skating is fine but not plus-plus and his puck handling is one of his biggest strengths. If he develops quickly, he can be a steadying force in the middle.
Plus, being a good passer would bode well for being on a line with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, and figure Paul Maurice will give him plenty of time with those two early on to build a good rapport. If they click, he could find himself with a nice path to 18 minutes a game.
But with Roslovic’s greenness and Bryan Little’s inconsistent play and health, expect the Jets to have a backup plan. Or make the two aforementioned players a backup plan. The third line and fourth line centers aren’t standing in the way of Roslovic’s playing time.
Next: What Went Wrong for Winnipeg?
But make no mistake, the Jets don’t have the freedom to let Roslovic go through growing pains. They did maybe a year or two ago, but now they’re playing for a Cup in a really tough division. If Jack Roslovic wants it, he’s going to have to earn it every game.