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Edmonton Oilers Andrew Mangiapane Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

What does Andrew Mangiapane bring to the Oilers?

Originally posted on Oilersnation | By Sunil Agnihotri | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers made a reasonable bet signing 29-year-old winger Andrew Mangiapane to two-year contract, with an annual average value of $3.6 million. He’s played over 500 NHL regular season and playoff games over his career and posted 257 points. The hope, according to Bowman, is that he fits into the top six at even-strength as a versatile forward and can contribute on the penalty kill.

The one concern with Mangiapane is around his overall point production, which has been steadily decreasing since his 2021-22 season when he finished with 35 goals and 20 assists in all situations as a 25-year-old. He went on to sign his three-year deal that paid him $5.8 million per year in 2022 but was traded after two seasons in 2024 to Washington for a draft pick. Calgary proactively shed the salary of an aging forward heading into free agency and likely recognized that a wrist injury incurred in the 2022-23 season impacted his point production. Mangiapane’s individual rate of shots on goal steadily declined, dropping from about eight shots per hour to below six per hour in the last two seasons.

Below is Mangiapane’s rate of points per hour at even-strength (5v5) by season. Since his high point in the 2021-22 season, his production has dropped by about 40 percent. So, while we may look at his last year in Washington as a down-year, it’s part of an overall trend for the player. One caveat to all of this is that he did play predominantly in the bottom six with guys like Lars Eller and Nic Dowd, which would have impacted his productivity. But it does make you wonder why Washington’s coaching staff never had him higher up in the lineup recognizing what his deficiencies were.

Via The Nation Network

While the production hasn’t been great, Mangiapane does have a solid track record now of having a positive influence on his team’s ability to outshoot and outchance opposing teams. So, while the productivity might be gradually slipping as he approaches 30, he’s at least helping his team tilt the ice in terms of puck possession and getting into those critical scoring opportunities. His teams always do better with him on the ice than without him, which indicates he could be a helpful play driver across different game situations.

The table below shows Mangiapane’s on-ice shot-differential numbers relative to his teammates. Being above zero means that Mangiapane outperformed the team average, which is impressive considering how strong his previous teams’ underlying shot-share numbers have been in Calgary and Washington. There has been a decline in these on-ice numbers since his wrist injury in 2022/23, but it hasn’t made Mangiapane any sort of liability on the ice. At least not yet.

Via The Nation Network

Considering his strong on-ice shot-share numbers, with and without talented players, Mangiapane should probably get a shot in the top six group to see if his production numbers and on-ice goal-share could bounce back. He’s a good replacement for Viktor Arvidsson, who also has a history of helping his team outshoot and outchance opposing teams. But the Oilers should also consider playing Mangiapane away from the star players to help the bottom six control the flow of play and prevent getting outscored when the top stars are on the bench. It’s a constant battle every year for the Oilers to prevent bad things from happening when the McDavid and Draisaitl are off the ice, and this season will be no different. Mangiapane should be able to alleviate these issues.

One other thing to note is that while Bowman did express his vision to have Mangiapane kill penalties, he only played 12 minutes short-handed last year in Washington. And the year prior to that in Calgary, he was barely a secondary option and didn’t post great numbers as the Flames allowed more shots with him on the ice. Something to consider when evaluating his potential roles this upcoming season and managing expectations.

Data: Natural Stat Trick, PuckPedia

This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.

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