The Blue Jackets have begun addressing their offseason "to do" list by signing center Jack Roslovic to a two-year contract extension.
Roslovic, 25, could have become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights July 13, when the NHL's free-agency period opens. Instead, he agreed to a two-year extension worth $8 million after putting up career-high offensive numbers for the second straight season.
"Jack is an offensively gifted player with great speed and vision who has increased his production each season during his NHL career," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "He has made great strides in his all-around game, especially during this past season, and we are very pleased that he will continue to be an important part of our team as we move forward."
Roslovic is from Upper Arlington and played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets Tier I developmental program prior to playing collegiately at Miami of Ohio. He was drafted 25th overall in 2015 by the Winnipeg Jets and spent his first four NHL seasons with that organization. The Blue Jackets acquired Roslovic on Jan. 23, 2021, along with left wing Patrik Laine in a trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to Winnipeg, bringing the hometown kid back to his roots.
It hasn't been a perfect match, however.
Roslovic has gone through growing pains in two seasons with the Blue Jackets, including an extended slump while playing bottom-six minutes to start this season. Each year, though, Roslovic found a way to overcome his struggles and let his high-end offensive skills shine.
Despite clashing with former Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella in 2020-21, he set career-highs with 12 goals, 22 assists and 34 points in 48 games during his first season with Columbus. Roslovic topped those numbers this year for Tortorella's successor, Brad Larsen, after overcoming his vexing start.
Roslovic finished with 22 goals, 23 assists and 45 points in 81 games and skated the final 23 games as center of the top line, taking over a role held by captain Boone Jenner prior to a season-ending back injury in March.
"You have to fail to succeed, in my eyes, and those failing moments, those 'not good' moments really define somebody as a person and a player," Roslovic said in April at the team's season-ending press conference. "I almost like to hang my hat on it, that you push through it and come out of it a better person on the other side. To have a really good idea of where my game stands and where I set the bar for myself, it's something I can grow (from). I'm excited by what comes next season."
Roslovic's new contract will pay him $4 million each season, which will also be the amount the Blue Jackets count toward the NHL's salary cap each year. He will be 27 and a pending unrestricted free agent at the deal's conclusion in 2024, which gives him and the Blue Jackets two more seasons to assess their relationship.
There have been some bumps in the first two years, but each side is satisfied with where things are heading. That's ultimately what helped negotiations proceed smoothly, finishing well before the start of free agency and July 17 deadline for unsigned RFAs to file for arbitration.
"I wanted to get it done, and it's one of those things where that's the business side of it," said Roslovic, whose caritable efforts to grow the sport locally made him the Blue Jackets' nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy this season. "It can be long, it can be short, it can be friendly, and I think we were very good with it. ... I think that we're all in a good spot. There's a lot of trust being built within the organization and with myself as a player, and now it's really time to focus and do what I do best, and that's playing hockey."
Should Roslovic continue to make progress as a top-six center, it could be a key part of Kekalainen's plan to "reset" the Jackets' roster for another crack at the NHL's postseason, which they've missed the past two seasons.
"We had a few different options on the length of the contract," said Kekalainen, who made sure to mention that no Blue Jackets player has ever made it to the arbitration stage under his watch. "Both sides felt that it wasn't time for a long-term contract right now. This is an opportunity for us to keep evaluating Jack and his growth, and we believe he can be a big part of this. So does he. We agreed on the length of the contract. We keep building that trust with him, and hopefully, at some point, the right time, we can extend it to a longer-term contract and keep moving on, growing with Jack."
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets sign Jack Roslovic to contract extension
