Edmonton Oilers looking to trade Mangiapane and a division rival is interested: report
The marriage between the Edmonton Oilers and Andrew Mangiapane hasn’t turned out as expected.
Mangiapane was expected to be a solid middle-six forward for the Oilers who could help shore up some of the team’s depth scoring. He signed with Edmonton on July 1, and it looked like a great fit for both sides at the time.
Things started well enough, with Mangiapane scoring in each of his first two games with the Oilers, but it’s been a steady decline ever since. In 40 games, he has just five goals and 11 points. He has been a healthy scratch in two of the last three games and is looking like he’ll be back in the press box on Tuesday night as well.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the Oilers were looking to trade Mangiapane over the holidays, but he added to that reporting during Monday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
Friedman doesn’t think Edmonton will have trouble finding a taker for the 29-year-old, and listed a Pacific Division rival as having trade interest.
“I do think the Oilers are gonna be able to find a landing for Mangiapane,” Friedman said. “I did mention [the] Anaheim [Ducks] on Saturday night… I just wondered if they might want a veteran to help some of their kids get through this.”
Friedman also mentioned that the Ducks have plenty of cap room to work with and that Mangiapane’s $3.6 million cap hit through next season shouldn’t be too hard to move. As for what the Oilers could get back in return, the veteran NHL insider threw out a name.
If it turns out to be true, it would involve a former Oiler coming back to Edmonton.
“I did have some people who thought that maybe a [Ryan] Strome for Mangiapane deal might make sense,” Friedman said. “The problem is Strome makes about a million and a half more than Mangiapane, and Edmonton doesn’t have the room to take all that.
“I’ve also heard that they are looking for a player who would be more accepting of the role that Mangiapane was going to have to start to play, which is sort of a bottom-six, somebody whose not going to get much of a chance to play with a Leon [Draisaitl] or Connor [McDavid].”
Strome previously appeared in 100 games with the Oilers between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He was initially acquired from the New York Islanders as part of the Jordan Eberle trade and was then shipped off to the New York Rangers in exchange for Ryan Spooner.
The 32-year-old Strome has two goals and six points through 21 games with the Ducks this season. He carries a cap hit of $5 million through next season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs seem like another team that could be interested in this type of trade, with an underperforming Mattias Macelli of their own, but Friedman poured cold water on that possibility.
Something will have to give between the Oilers and Mangiapane. With the NHL trade deadline two months away, a resolution could be coming soon.