The Edmonton Oilers, like all other teams, need to take a long, hard look at their roster and straighten things out soon. During the offseason, Stan Bowman acquired a winger who has not quite managed to fit in in the Oilers locker room. A move surrounding him could be imminent, and the Montreal Canadiens might emerge as an advantageous trade partner for Edmonton to indulge in some course correction.
Insider Explores the Possibility of an Oilers-Canadiens Partnership for Andrew Mangiapane
It goes without saying that whatever Bowman had planned for Mangiapane and the Oilers at the onset of free agency in 2025 has not come to fruition. The bottom line is that Mangiapane has struggled enormously to fit into the blue and orange squad.
Over the 47 games he has played with the Oilers, Mangiapane has accumulated a mere 12 points.
Mangiapane’s minutes have been slashed drastically, and he also spent a sufficient period of time in the press box. This much is for certain: Mangiapane and the Oilers are headed to splitsville.
Pierre LeBrun believes that there have been conversations on this subject, but the Oilers have not found an ideal fit. “It’s not for a lack of trying. My understanding is that the Oilers are having ongoing conversations with teams open-minded about a return. But there hasn’t been a fit so far,” LeBrun wrote in a recent contribution to The Athletic.Â
Luckily, the Oilers could find a viable partner in the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs are looking to part ways with Patrik Laine, whose season has been drastically impacted by injury woes, and to that end, the Habs are rumoured to be willing to retain up to 50% of Laine’s salary.
Such a set of conditions could be very advantageous for a playoff-oriented team like the Oilers. “I wonder if this kind of move could help Montreal open space to do something bigger, and there is interest in Laine because he’ll be coming on an expiring contract. He would be a freebie with upside, whether for a playoff team hoping to find a cheap-to-acquire scorer,” Nick Kypreos wrote in a contribution to Sportsnet.Â
Kypreos believes that Mangiapane, who is currently in the first year of his two-year, $7.2 million contract with the Oilers, could emerge as a point of interest between the Habs and Edmonton. “Edmonton’s Andrew Mangiapane is also on my list, and it makes me wonder if a Montreal-Edmonton match might be found here.”
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While Mangiapane has failed to win over the Oilers community, there is no saying he won’t fit in with the Canadiens. After all, Mangiapane was not nearly as disappointing during his seven-season run with the Calgary Flames. A fresh start could very well work wonders for Mangiapane, even if it is in a more diminished role on the surging Habs.
