Trade deadline week was not nearly as hectic as we imagined it would be, but the Edmonton Oilers still got a good amount of business done to shake things up.
Leading up to this week, the primary burden on the Oilers was forward Andrew Mangiapane’s contract. General Manager Stan Bowman managed to ship his free agency signing off to the Chicago Blackhawks, but at no small price.
Former Oilers Forward Andrew Mangiapane Addresses Exit from Edmonton
The Oilers didn’t wait right up until the trade deadline to dump Mangiapane’s contract, instead choosing to get their business done a day earlier. In came center Jason Dickinson and forward Colton Dach. Out went Mangiapane and a 2027 first-round pick.
With no teams willing to buy low on Mangiapane, the Oilers had to attach a first-round pick to get things done, but with Connor McDavid on a show-me-what-you-can-do contract, Edmonton simply had to get things done this week.
Speaking to the media for the first time since his exit from Edmonton, Mangiapane put his cards on the table.
“It was a little tough sledding there in Edmonton,” the former Oilers winger said. “I’m happy to get out and have a nice restart and be with a good organization here.”
Mangiapane is just four years removed from a 35-goal season with the Calgary Flames. However, he had just seven goals in 52 games for the Oilers this season. Edmonton placed him on waivers and later sent him to AHL Bakersfield.
On the Blackhawks’ side of things, Mangiapane is signed through next year, which is why the Oilers had to cough up a first-round pick. Chicago can now choose to buy him out this summer or just hope he gets back to his Calgary run of form. Everybody wins.
For the Oilers, though, it’s hard not to look at the trade deadline and point at how little help they got for Connor McDavid. This is also the fourth straight deadline day that the Oilers have chosen to stay away from activity, even with a number of quality additions available to add some firepower to their ranks.
Goaltending still remains an issue. As a matter of fact, after the 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, Edmonton has played an NHL-high 10 home games this season with a save percentage below .840, per Sportsnet Stats.
Goalies like Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt and St. Louis’s Jordan Binnington were there for the taking. There was even talk of the Florida Panthers considering shipping two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky out.
However, as things stand, it appears the Oilers will instead look at a goalie prospect in the summer. They currently have Tristan Jarry, Connor Ingram, and Calvin Pickard to call upon, while prospect Connor Ungar has also been flashing a lot of potential lower down the ranks.
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