The talk surrounding Edmonton Oilers forward Andrew Mangiapane has kicked into high gear after comments regarding the player’s future.
During the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman hinted that Mangiapane could be squeezed out of the Oilers’ lineup amid prospects pushing for playing time.
Then, more interesting developments hit the airwaves when it was revealed that Mangiapane was a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.
As my colleague Thomas Williams also reported, Mangiapane’s agent has been granted permission to seek a trade.
Maple Leafs need to avoid trading for Andrew Mangiapane
Considering that Mangiapane is a former 35-goal scorer, he offers value to teams looking for depth scoring. However, there’s a key reason why the Maple Leafs shouldn’t target Mangiapane.
Yes, Mangiapane could rebound to his former 30-goal form. But judging from his career numbers, that season was more of an outlier than an indicator of his ceiling. Before the 2021-22 season, in which he hit his career-high in goals, the Toronto native had scored 17 and 18 goals in his two previous seasons.
After the 35-goal campaign with the Calgary Flames, Mangiapane followed that p with 17, 14, and 14-goal seasons. This year, his production has plummeted to just five goals in 39 games.
Now, an argument could be made that he just wasn’t a good fit in Edmonton. But bear in mind that Mangiapane picked the Oilers. Several teams, including the Maple Leafs, were among the 29-year-old’s suitors. The Leafs had reportedly offered a multi-year deal. Instead, Mangiapane took a two-year pact to chase a Cup with the Oilers.
That quest seems to have come to an end. The Leafs would do well to avoid trading for Mangiapane. Unless Toronto can land him for a modest price and even get the Oilers to pick up the tab on the remaining portion of his $3.6 million cap hit, it just wouldn’t make sense.
Of course, there’s always the possibility that Mangiapane can turn things around. But he’s not the typical “Berube” player who could fit within his system. So, the Maple Leafs might be better off looking for other options out there.