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The Washington Capitals' season came to an end after losing in five games to the Carolina Hurricanes. While the Capitals made a surprising run to the top spot i the Eastern Conference, they fell short in the playoffs. Now the Capitals have to make offseason decisions on how to move forward. We look at the three best destinations for Washington Capitals winger Andrew Mangiapane in this 2025 NHL Free Agency season.
Andrew Mangiapane spent this last season with the Capitals, after starting his career in Calgary in the 2017-18 season. He would spend seven seasons in Calgary before being traded to Washington. Now he is an unrestricted free agent. He is coming off his worst season since the 2019-202 season, and the Capitals could look to move on from Mangiapane. This past year, Mangiapane made $5.8 million, fourth among Capitals forwards. It was also more than Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas, both of whom had better production than Magiapane.
Still, Mangiapane has shown to be a solid middle-six forward. With the salary cap increasing and multiple teams in need of a middle-six wing, the former Capital could have plenty of suitors this offseason.
Nashville is in need of a new forward
It was a struggle of a season for the Predators. They were projected to contend for a playoff spot but would finish 30-44-8- and placed seventh in the Central Division. Still, the Predators need another top-six forward. While Filip Forsberg, Jonathan Marchessault, and Steven Stamkos all finished above 50 points, the second line for the Predators struggled. Only Ryan O'Reilly was above 40 points from the second line.
Mangiapane only put up 28 points last year, but was above 40 points in both of the two years before that. Further, he has shown to be a power-play presence, scoring eight goals with three assists on the power play in the 2021-22 season. The Predators were 18th in the NHL on the power play last year. With Mangiapane being worth close to $4 million next year, according to Cap Wages, the Predators can take on the contract. They are projected to have over $19 million in cap space this upcoming year.
The Islanders fill a need
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The Islanders could be another potential destination for Andrew Mangiapane. They traded away Brock Nelson during the season, losing a bunch of depth fourth down the line. Further, Kyle Palmieri is an upcoming free agent, as is defenseman Noah Dobson. While Dobson does not factor as much into a decision to bring in Mangiapane, not having him on the roster contributes to the fact that the Islanders have $39 million in cap space this year.
Further, the Islanders need help on the third line. On the second line, they have a solid rotation with Maxim Tsyplakov, Jean-Gbariel Pageua, and Simon Holstrom. Still, the top player on the third line is Casey Cizikas, who scored just seven goals with ten assists this past year. Further, he has a -13 plus/minus rating. Maginapane would not only provide scoring for the third line, but also some much-needed defense for the Islanders. Further, there is the possibility that Pageau will be moved this offseason. This would most likely move Cizikas onto the second line, making the need for a third line forward even greater.
The Blue Jackets upgrade their roster
Mangiapane would fit well on the second or third line for Columbus. With Sean Monahan, Kirill Marchenko, and Boone Jenner taking the top line, Mangiapane could fit in with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson on the second line. Johnson was third on the team in points this past year, giving the Blue Jackets two full lines of scoring options. Plus, Mangiapane provides a defensive element that the second line is currently missing. The Blue Jackets also have plenty of cap space. While they need to re-sign Ivan Provorov and Sean Kuraly, they do not have many other major free agents. Further, Columbus is expected to have one of the largest amounts of available money this offseason. They are expected to have almost $43 million in cap space.
Mangiapane also provides post-season experience for the Blue Jackets, something they do not have a lot of. He played in ten post-season games with the Capitals this year, while also playing in 27 with the Flames in his time there over three years. Still, his post-season experience has not been stellar. Overall, he could provide a veteran presence to the Blue Jackets' locker room. The Blue Jackets could also use him on the penalty kill. They ranked 22nd in the NHL on the penalty kill this past year, and Mangiapane has proven that he can play in that situation.
