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It has been a busy offseason for the Edmonton Oilers. They opened up the summer by bringing back Trent Frederic on an eight-year deal, after they fell in the Stanley Cup Final for a second straight season. They have made some other major moves in NHL Free Agency, with the latest being the signing of Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal. The deal may be solid for the Oilers, even as Mangiapane has taken a discount.
Beyond bringing back Frederic, the Oilers have also brought back Kasperi Kapanen and re-signed restricted free agent Evan Bouchard. They did lose Corey Perry and Connor Brown to free agency, while also trading Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks and Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins. Edmonton is also in a slightly precarious cap situation. Jeff Skinner is still a free agent, and Connor McDavid is in need of a contract extension. Still, the team has just $2.48 million in cap space currently.
The franchise may have gotten a solid deal by bringing in Mangiapane. He was the 166th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames. He would break into the NHL for the first time with the Flames in the 2017-18 season, playing in 10 games, but not registering a point. After beginning the next season in the AHL, he would return for 44 games with the Flames, and stay in the NHL ever since. The Canadian-born forward moved last summer to the Washington Capitals via a trade, but would spend just one season there before hitting free agency and moving on to the Oilers.
The Oilers add depth on a solid deal
The Oilers were in a tough spot regarding the salary cap after bringing back Bouchard. He took over $10 million of their cap space. This placed them in a situation where they had to make moves to make cap space, which is what they did with trades. They would shed over $5 million by moving on from Kane, while also saving $4 million by trading Arvidsson. They used some of those savings to bring in Mangiapane on a deal worth just $3.6 million in AAV.
The former Flame is coming off a down year with the Capitals. His 14 goals were tied for the lowest of his career when playing over 45 games. Further, his 14 assists tied for the lowest of his career when playing over 45 games as well. This gave him just 28 points, which was the fewest since the 2018-19 campaign when he played in just 44 games. Still, prior to joining the Capitals, he had three straight seasons of 40 or more points. Further, he had scored 30 or more points in five straight campaigns.
He will play on the left wing, which has been his primary position in the NHL. That could pair him on the second line with Leon Draisaitl, which will surely increase point production via assists. It could also place him on the third line with Adam Henrique. Regardless, the Oilers get a solid middle-six forward who can also be a help on the power play.
Final thoughts and grade on the Andrew Mangiapane contract
While Mangiapane had a down year for the Capitals in terms of general statistics, the Oilers may have gotten a steal if they can put him in a position to succeed. His advanced statistics in 5v5 situations actually were better than in his last two years with the Flames. His IPP, which is an individual point production percentage, showing the percentage of points he was involved in when a goal was scored with him on the ice, was the third highest of his career. It was also the highest since he scored 35 goals in the 2021-22 season. Further, his shooting percentage was also the highest since his 35-goal campaign. This means that part of the reason for the decline in stats may have been situational, and not the player himself.
Meanwhile, his defensive statistics remained solid this past year. He tied a career high in shots blocked, while having solid hit numbers this past season. His plus/minus rating was below his career average, but once again, this could be due to the situation. The forward also had his least amount of time on the ice per game since the 2018-19 season.
For Mangiapane, he may have given a slight discount. For a player who is averaging 40 points per 82 games in his NHL career, a total over the $4 million per year mark would have been reasonable. Still, he reaped some benefits in this deal. To begin with, he gets a chance to chase Lord Stanley again. Edmonton has been the Western Conference champion two years in a row. As long as they still have McDavid and Draisaitl, they will be contenders again.
Further, Mangiapane should see his ice time increase again after being at a low in Washington. Finally, he has a no-trade clause this year, and that will move to a modified no-trade clause next summer. While he may have lost some money, he has a chance to build two solid campaigns on a good team. He will be just 31 the next time he is a free agent, and then could bring in an even larger payday.
Edmonton Oilers Grade: A-
Andrew Mangiapane Grade: B
