Elliotte Friedman Reveals Where Things Stand Between the Maple Leafs and UFA Jack Roslovic

As we enter the month of August, utility forward Jack Roslovic remains a free agent, which still gives the Toronto Maple Leafs an opportunity to solidify their roster before training camp begins.

The Roslovic front is interesting because it's very rare for someone of his skill-level to be available this late in the off-season. However, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman mentioned this weekend, it sounds like he's still willing to wait for the Leafs to move a body or two off the roster.

The prominent NHL insider revealed that there are anywhere between 5 and 6 teams interested in the free agent forward, but the Leafs are still working on moving some salary around to potentially accommodate his arrival.

Their interest in Roslovic became known at the beginning of July, where Friedman believed it was a move that made sense for both parties. Roslovic would fill a top-9 need for the Leafs and the 28-year-old forward could reunite with former U.S. National Team Development Program teammate Auston Matthews and former Blue Jackets teammate Max Domi.

Even at that juncture of the off-season, with so many moving pieces, Roslovic was reportedly willing to wait for the Leafs to make room for him on the roster. Since then, several teams have joined the race, including the Vancouver Canucks who have been pressing lately.

After Nick Robertson signed on the dotted line for $1.825 million to avoid arbitration, that left the Leafs with $1.91 million in excess salary at the moment.

Based on recent reports, Roslovic is hoping for a 2-3 year deal with a cap hit of around $3 million, leaving the Leafs scrambling to find a suitor for Calle Jarnkrok or David Kampf.

With Robertson now officially signed, the Leafs can now focus on subtracting from the roster. The bottom-6 is a little crowded, and finding a suitor for Kampf or Jarnkrok is paramount for a variety of reasons.

Roslovic would be a fantastic finishing move for the Maple Leafs' very busy summer, since he can slide onto any line and provide much needed secondary scoring. However, there are a few hurdles that remain, and only time will tell if the Leafs can act fast enough with other teams in the mix.