Difficult Mazes To Solve

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Jack Roslovic to a one-year, $2.8 million contract, general manager Eric Tulsky announced Thursday.

Roslovic, 27, joins the Hurricanes after spending the 2023-24 season with the Blue Jackets and Rangers, joining New York in March for the team's postseason run.

Across those two teams, Roslovic finished with nine goals and 31 points. He was a reliable presence for the Rangers who could be shifted from the first to third lines depending on matchups.

"Jack is a dynamic player who has been an offensive contributor for his entire career," Tulsky said in a statement. "Adding another right-handed playmaker capable of injecting speed and skill into the lineup will provide a boost to our forward group."

Roslovic is the sixth NHL player the Hurricanes have added this week, with Tulsky in charge as the successor to Don Waddell. Carolina also signed forwards William Carrier, Tyson Jost and Eric Robinson and defensemen Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere in an effort to make the playoffs for a seventh consecutive year under coach Rod Brind'Amour.

Next season will be a different kind of challenge after all the talent lost in free agency on a team that reached the second round this spring. Jake Guentzel went to Tampa Bay, Teuvo Teravainen to Chicago, Brett Pesce and Stefan Noesen to New Jersey, and Brady Skjei to Nashville.

Questions remain about the future of restricted free agent Martin Necas, whose father has said he wants to be traded to get a bigger role elsewhere. Necas, 25, was tied for third on the team in scoring last season.

Injuries limited Roslovic at times in Columbus, but in 2022-23, playing for his hometown team, he had 11 goals and 44 points, a season after his career-high 22-goal output.

He has totaled 80 goals and 141 assists in 445 career games after starting his career with the Winnipeg Jets as a 2015 first-round pick.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.