Breaking down Andrew Mangiapane’s fit on the Edmonton Oilers roster

About a week ago, the Edmonton Oilers signed forward Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal worth $3.6M per season. Mangiapane was a great signing for the Oilers. He is a great depth forward who had some fantastic seasons in Alberta with the Calgary Flames. With the Oilers losing players such as Corey Perry, Connor Brown, and Jeff Skinner in free agency, it was time to rebuild bits of the forward depth. Let’s take a look at what Mangiapane brings to the Oilers.

Mangiapane was a great rival

To date, Mangiapane has had his best seasons with the Flames in Calgary. He scored some huge goals for the team and always played great against the Oilers. The Flames drafted Mangiapane in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He was never projected to be a regular NHLer and was able to prove everyone wrong. The Toronto native worked his way up from the AHL to the NHL where he became a significant depth scorer for the Flames.

Mangiapane was a member of the great Flames team of the 2021–22 season. They had one of the best regular seasons in franchise history and capped it off with a Pacific Division win. Mangiapane had an amazing season with this team, scoring a career-high 35 goals and 55 points. Going into the playoffs, Mangiapane scored one of the biggest goals of the Flames’ run. In Game 5 against the Dallas Stars, Mangiapane scored a bar-down snipe to give the Flames a late lead in the third period. This played a crucial role in the series win as the Flames took Game 5 and won the series in Game 7.

Last offseason, the Flames traded Mangiapane to the Washington Capitals for a 2025 second-round pick (Theo Stockselius). He had a bit of a down season with the Capitals, but that was because he was on a much better team. The lineup was deeper, which gave Mangiapane less playing time. After signing in Edmonton, Mangiapane will get an excellent chance to prove he can still be a 20-goal scorer.

Where will Mangiapane slide into the lineup?

Mangiapane will most likely play in the middle-six of the Oilers’ forward core. He could get a good amount of time playing on the wing of superstar Leon Draisaitl. This will give him a fantastic opportunity to regain his scoring touch. He has played in this kind of role throughout his entire career, so he should be comfortable with his playing time.

Looking into some special teams opportunities, Mangiapane could get both power play and penalty kill playing time. Predicting how the Oilers’ lineup will fill out, one can say that Mangiapane will most likely be on the second power play unit. Here, he will be alongside players such as Jake Walman, Darnell Nurse, and Matthew Savoie. Mangiapane could be on the first or second penalty kill unit, depending on where the coaching staff sees him as a fit.

Time will tell where Mangiapane truly fits in the lineup. Preseason could give a good indication of where he will start out with the Oilers.

What can Oiler fans expect from Mangiapane?

Mangiapane is the type of player that every successful team needs. He never gives up on the play and plays bigger than his size. Mangiapane can be described as a two-way forward who can be exceptional on the forecheck. He brings some speed to his game, so hopefully, he will be able to keep up with Connor McDavid some of the time. Mangiapane’s speed and effort is what sets him apart from other depth forwards in the league.

Every player has their weaknesses, and Mangiapane most certainly has some. He is a smaller forward who is listed at 5’10” and 183lbs. This makes it a bit easier for the other team to push him around. However, he will never back down when someone gives him a tough time. Another weakness that Mangiapane has in his game is his shooting ability. His shot is average and does not hold much power. When he enters the zone off the rush, lots of his shots get deflected out of play. Something he could work on in the offseason is getting pucks through defencemen while getting more strength behind the shot.

Overall, Mangiapane was a much-needed signing in Edmonton, and I think he will be a good fit here. He is a better option than Connor Brown, who wanted more term on his contract. If things do not work out for Mangiapane in Edmonton, his contract is movable. This can make him an asset in a trade package if the Oilers ever need one in the future. Talented players like Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner did not fit in, so there is some worry that Mangiapane could go down the same road.

Along with Mangiapane, the Oilers signed forward Curtis Lazar as a depth forward. Do you think these moves help improve the Oilers’ depth scoring?