New Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jack Roslovic explained why he decided to come to Toronto in free agency this offseason.
The Maple Leafs signed Roslovic to a two-year, $8 million deal on July 1 to stay north of the border after playing last year with the Edmonton Oilers.
After spending this past season playing with one of the NHL’s elite talents, Connor McDavid, Roslovic will now get the chance to play with Auston Matthews, someone he knows from spending time together with the U.S. National Team Development Program, in Toronto.
Jack Roslovic Explains Signing in Toronto
Speaking to TSN’s OverDrive, Roslovic explained his decision to sign with the Maple Leafs.
“A mixture of everything. They’ve been a team that you could say didn’t have their best year last year. But it’s a team that’s new, it’s young, it’s vibrant, it’s ready to win. A couple of familiar faces around. A really cool, really good style of hockey that’s exciting, and I just wanted to be a part of it,” Roslovic said.
The 29-year-old Columbus, Ohio, native will be playing for his sixth NHL team in his 11th year in the league, and he’s hoping that he finds a place that he can call home going forward, especially since he may have the chance to play with Matthews.
“We played in juniors together and had a lot of success at that level. I’ve been watching him from afar a bit. Obviously, still close friends. Watching him grow as a person, as a player, it’s remarkable to see what he’s done. Being the captain here, obviously, it’s not an easy thing to do. But the ability for him and the way he plays and the way he exerts himself on a daily basis is awesome. So, once again, just excited to get pushing with him and be able to play and pick up some things that will translate for my game,” Roslovic.
Jack Roslovic Open to Any Possibilities in Toronto
While Roslovic would obviously love to play with Matthews on the Maple Leafs’ first line — who wouldn’t? — it will ultimately be a decision made by new Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller as to what line he plays on and what role he is deployed in with Toronto.
That’s just fine with Roslovic, who says he plans on talking to the Maple Leafs’ coaching staff at some point soon, as he knows the braintrust is hard at work at Toronto’s head office right now, thinking of the team’s plan of attack for this coming season.
“Yeah, I think we’re obviously going to sit down. It’s August, but the grind starts. They’re there in the office, and they’re working. There’s going to be an evaluation period, and there’s going to be some kinks to figure out, but we’ll work it out,” Roslovic said.
With Maple Leafs training camp starting in just a few short weeks, it won’t be long until Roslovic gets a better handle on what role that Hiller plans to have for him this year.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Jack Roslovic Explains Signing With Maple Leafs appeared first on HEAVY.