So sorry, Toronto: Veteran NHL forward picked Edmonton Oilers over Maple Leafs
Joey Daccord #35 of the Seattle Kraken makes a save against Andrew Mangiapane #88 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena on January 23, 2025, in Seattle, Wash. PHOTO BY STEPH CHAMBERS /Getty Images
Not only the Edmonton Oilers get themselves out of a pickle by bringing in a useful middle six winger when they signed unrestricted free agent Andrew Mangiapane on July 1, the Oilers also beat out Canadian rival Toronto for the player.
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This is intriguing news in a hockey-mad nation where hardly a month goes by without a Toronto hockey commentator for blogger agitating for Oilers star Connor McDavid to sign with the Leafs.
But this is on Mangiapane, news from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, hockey’s most credible insider (who does an admirable job of reporting on the NHL in a fair, measured and unbalanced manner even as he’s based in Toronto), Friedman’s report from his 32 Thoughts podcast that two teams hot after Mangiapane in free agency were Toronto and Edmonton, with Mangiapane choosing the Oilers over the Leafs.
How could such a thing ever happen?
Said Friedman, “Now, one of the things that’s kind of gone on here is that the Leafs have indicated that I think one of the reasons the Leafs didn’t get Mangiapane was because they kind of indicated we have to move some bodies out. And Mangiapane didn’t want to wait.”
Friedman added, “Edmonton’s deal was right there and he took it.
And also it doesn’t hurt when you’re going to be playing with (Edmonton centre) Leon Draisaitl, right? It’s going to make a lot of guys look good.”
3. The timing of the Mangiapane signing is also interesting because it’s rumoured that the Oilers were after a trade for Tampa prospect Isaac Howard leading up to July 1, with many in the NHL community thinking that a deal was done between Edmonton and Tampa.
But not to be.
Perhaps after losing out on Howard, a smaller, scoring winger, the Oilers shifted gears and made acquiring smaller scoring winger Mangiapane more of a focus.
The Oilers had previously traded out yet another smaller scoring winger in Viktor Arvidsson, and needed to fill his spot on the roster.
With the Howard deal falling through, Edmonton might have been in a pickle if Mangiapane hadn’t signed here.
Fortunately, the skilled, veteran two-way winger chose Edmonton over Toronto, reportedly with calls for Oilers aces McDavid and Draisaitl assisting in persuading him to come here.
