Roslovic is a reasonable free-agent bet for the Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames may not be done with their free-agency action just yet.

Through nearly the first month of free agency, the Flames have done virtually nothing. They were said to be in on some rather big names available, but wound up falling short. By no means is that the worst-case scenario, as they still have a ways to go before turning into a true contender.

One area that the Flames are well aware they need to improve upon is down the middle of the ice. They attempted to address that at this year’s draft by using each of their first-round picks on centres in Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter, though both figure to be years away from making an NHL impact. If the Flames do want to improve down the middle right now, however, there is a free agent who could help.

That free agent would be Jack Roslovic, who remains unsigned despite being far and away the most intriguing player remaining on the market.

Roslovic, who is still just 28 years old, scored 22 goals and 39 points with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. It marked the second time in his career that he surpassed the 20-goal mark, while he’s also broken the 40-point threshold on two occasions.

Though Roslovic has been used more on the wing throughout his 526-game career, he has stated in the past that he prefers playing down the middle and has shown the ability to do so.

While his defensive play is lacking, Roslovic is more than adequate in the face-off dot. He took 355 draws for the ‘Canes last season, winning 54.1 per cent. Every regular centre for the Flames last season finished below 50 per cent, aside from Morgan Frost, who finished at 50.5 in his 32 games after being acquired in late January.

At 28, Roslovic may not fit into the Flames’ true contending window, but would serve as a solid stopgap until prospects like Reschny and Potter are NHL-ready.

Heading into free agency, Roslovic was projected to sign a three-year deal worth roughly $10.5 million. With how long he’s waited on the market, one would have to believe that price, or at the very least the term, has gone down.

The Flames, who have more than $15 million in cap space, could more than afford to sign Roslovic to a two-year, $6-million deal. Whether he’s willing to accept remains unknown, but he doesn’t appear to have many other options at this point, and he would undoubtedly have a great opportunity with the Flames to reach new heights offensively.

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