The Colorado Avalanche have been silent this summer, staying out of the limelight by signing just one new player in Brent Burns. The Avalanche lack a strong fourth line and still have some work to do. They will have just over $4.12 million according to Puckpedia to do so. Jack Drury did well as the fourth-line center, so the Avalanche are in search of a third-line center to fill the gap. Jack Roslovic could fill that role for the Avalanche and more.

Roslovic is an agile skater who can move the puck for a skilled line like the Avalanche. He would also add speed to the line, which will lack while Logan O’Connor recovers from surgery. This would also allow for Ross Colton to play on the wing as well. His career-high 54.1 winning percentage at the faceoff dot last season is appealing for the Avalanche. Adding that to the bottom-six along with Drury will keep the puck in the Avalanche zone more often and set them up for success.


Roslovic’s puck-moving skills would go great with Colton, who has excelled rushing out of the zone and crashing the net. His 22 goals and 17 assists on the Carolina Hurricanes last season would be useful on the Avalanche third line. Colorado needs to fill the gap left by Joel Kiviranta, who had 23 points last season. The balance on the third line for offense and defense is delicate. Roslovic’s career minus 37 is a concern. He has been on some poor teams with the Columbus Blue Jackets and has been stuck in the bottom-six his entire career.

Colorado could pursue Roslovic for about three million. They would still have some salary to work with for call-ups and assuming O’Connor goes on long-term injured reserve. With the Avalanche blue line, that could outweigh Roslovic’s defensive shortcomings. He is a cheaper option than Charlie Coyle was, but not as experienced. The fact that he is still available tells us he could be asking for too much, and the Avalanche are waiting it out for his value to drop.