Flames hoping Mangiapane can turn things around this season

For the first time in his five-year NHL career, Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane took a step backward.

After going off for a career-best 35-goal, 55-point season in 2021-22, Mangiapane saw his totals dip to 17 goals and 43 points this past year. The 27-year-old has been a rather streaky scorer throughout his 342-game career, but he couldn’t seem to put together any consistency last season.

He wasn’t the only one who struggled, of course. Most of the Flames roster played well below expectations last season, missing the playoffs by two points in a year where many expected them to be potential Stanley Cup contenders. New additions such as Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri didn’t mesh as hoped, while former head coach Darryl Sutter had the room turn against him in quick fashion.

A big reason for Mangiapane’s decline last season had to do with puck luck or a lack thereof. During his 35-goal campaign, he converted on 18.9 percent of his shots. Last season, that number dipped all the way to 9.34 percent.

While his shooting percentage from 2021-22 may suggest he was simply riding a hot streak, that doesn’t appear to be the case judged on seasons prior. In 2020-21, he scored on 19.8 percent of his shots, while in 2019-20, he was similar at 15.4 percent. These numbers suggest that his high percentages aren’t based on luck but rather a superb goal-scoring ability.

With Sutter now out as the Flames’ head coach, Mangiapane should be one of several Flames who can get back on track in 2023-24. Whether or not he can surpass his career-high 35 goals remains to be seen, but he is certainly capable of putting home more than the 17 he did this past season. If he can get back to the level he has proven he can play at, it could very well be enough to guide this team back into the playoffs by season’s end.

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