As the Winnipeg Jets face a number of questions heading into free agency, it appears a new one could be the future of Jack Roslovic.
The 22-year-old fired agent Ken Robinson on Thursday and hired Claude Lemieux, the Athletic's Aaron Portzline reported . Robinson represented Roslovic for over six years. He also added that Roslovic had asked for a trade this season, but Robinson denied that claim on Twitter . However, he did indicate that Roslovic was indeed unhappy with his role.
While he was taken 25th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft and listed as one of the Jets' top prospects, having impressed during his time with the U.S. National Team Development Program, he hasn't been able to exactly find his footing in the Jets' organization.
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After a solid campaign with Miami University of Ohio, Roslovic made his way to Manitoba for his his first AHL season in 2016, where he was able to put up 13 goals and 48 points in 65 games. Eventually, in 2017-18, he was the Moose's leading scorer early in the season before he eventually earned the call-up to Winnipeg. He finished his rookie year having put up five goals and 14 points in 31 NHL games, which helped him earn a full-time spot this past season.
While his play was solid and he got top-6 minutes on occassion and showed chemistry with players like Nikolaj Ehlers, he ultimately averaged around nine minutes of ice time per night. In that limited time, he still managed nine goals and 24 points playing mainly on the bottom-6 and mostly, the fourth line. Tying in limited minutes, inconsistency and little opportunity, Robinson said that he was not happy with his spot in the lineup, but that he never wanted to be shipped out.
Murat, Roslovic never made a trade request. He wanted off of the 4th line, not off of the Jets. No truth to that rumor. I should know. I’m the guy he fired.
— Kenneth J Robinson (@Krobinson5335) June 6, 2019
Overall, Roslovic has 38 points in 109 NHL games, and while the numbers don't indicate a strong performance, he did manage to do a lot in very limited ice time, and he has shown the potential to succeed.
He's a solid forward who takes good care of the puck and can get to those high-danger scoring areas. The American-born forward also has solid chemistry with anyone, and he would truly benefit from more ice time. The only question is whether or not he'll find that in Winnipeg, all speculation aside, as he heads into the 2019-20 campaign.
Just days ago, the Jets sent Kevin Hayes to Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round pick, which does offer a vacancy on the bottom-6 and could potentially allow more of a role for Roslovic heading into this season. However, given his ice time this season, which was cut even shorter after a pointless six-game playoff campaign, one has to wonder if he will end up on the outs.
Regardless, Robinson believes things will ultimately work out for Roslovic as he continues his NHL career.
"He wasn't on the fourth line because he was a fourth-line player. It was just a real frustrating situation on the Jets... but things will get better for him," Robinson explained .