Where Roslovic could slot into Edmonton Oilers lineup
Going into Wednesday night’s home opener, the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup looked like it was set in stone, but changes are on the way.
With the team signing Jack Roslovic to a one-year deal, the Oilers have a decision to make. The 28-year-old is a decent offensive weapon, having netted 22 goals with the Carolina Hurricanes last season while also leading the team in five-on-five points as well.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman mentioned that the team had been interested in Roslovic for most of the summer, and things intensified in recent days to get a contract signed. But where will he fit on this Edmonton roster? It seems just about every roster spot is spoken for at the moment, and there is no obvious player who could come out.
There is also the question of how the Oilers will make this work from a cap perspective. They are fine right now due to being in LTIR, but that will change in short order.
So, how will the Oilers deal with the potential lineup fit and cap issues? Let’s take a deeper look…
Oilers cap casualties?
The contract carries a $1.5 million cap hit, and while Edmonton can remain cap-compliant with Zach Hyman on the LTIR, they will need to move some money around when he is ready to return to the lineup next month.
To do that, PuckPedia explained that the Oilers will need to open up about $2.8 million in cap space to fit Roslovic into the lineup. Edmonton will have to send a player or two down to the AHL to accomplish that.
After signing Roslovic for $1.5M, #LetsGoOilers have $326K Cap Space remaining in LTIR with 23 active (13F/8D/2G) + Roslovic + Janmark IR & Hyman LTIR.
To activate Hyman, assuming everyone healthy, would need to clear $2.8M annual cap hit. That can be accomplished by sending… pic.twitter.com/XDXzf5jLhT
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 9, 2025
So, which player(s) could wind up being sent down to fit in the new guy? A few candidates include Curtis Lazar and Troy Stecher, who find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the NHL lineup. Those two, however, only combine for a total of $1.5 million, meaning the Oilers would still need to move out more money.
Another candidate who could be sent down over the course of this month could be Alec Regula, once Jake Walman is healthy enough to play, as well as either Mattias Janmark or Kasperi Kapanen.
It won’t be the easiest of moves to fit in, but the Oilers still have some time to figure it out, as Hyman will remain on LTIR for the remainder of the month.
Where will Roslovic play?
Assuming the Oilers do wind up finding a solution to fit Roslovic in while remaining cap compliant, the question still stands on where he could potentially slot into the lineup.
Roslovic can play centre or wing, but the latter is the most likely in Edmonton. The Oilers have a long depth chart of NHL centremen, and they aren’t really lacking anybody down the middle. What they are lacking is a proven scorer on the wings.
The lack of scoring from the wing was part of what prompted Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch to reunite Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Perhaps adding Roslovic will lead to those two being separated once again.
The former first-round pick played the majority of last season at RW, and there are spots in the top nine where he could slot in pretty nicely. With Hyman out, the RW depth chart has Trent Frederic, Matt Savoie, Kapanen, and David Tomasek occupying the four NHL spots.
Frederic can play LW or centre, so it would be easy to move him around to make space. Kapanen has looked strong to start the season, but he is a potential cap casualty in this situation.
There is a chance we could see Roslovic jump into the top-six for a little bit to start, just to see if he can generate some chemistry with some of the big guns. Once Hyman comes back, they can reevaluate his spot.
It’s difficult to pin an exact spot where Roslovic could slot in, but his arrival will give the Oilers coaching staff plenty of options to work with.