The Edmonton Oilers are actively looking to trade Andrew Mangiapane.
With the NHL trade deadline just over a week away, the expectation is that the Oilers will move on from the 29-year-old just eight months after signing him in free agency. The latest reporting on the situation is that Edmonton GM Stan Bowman tried to get a Mangiapane trade done with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kyperos released his latest trade board on Tuesday, where he reported that the Oilers attempted to send Mangiapane to the Leafs, but were shut down.
“The Oilers were prepared to send Mangiapane to Toronto for Matias Maccelli, but the feeling is the Leafs weren’t too interested in it,” Kypreos wrote.
Mangiapane has not worked out as planned for the Oilers. He was expected to come in and provide a bit of scoring as a top-nine forward, but has instead faded into an unproductive background player with just six goals and 12 points through 49 games.
The former Calgary Flames forward has also become a regular healthy scratch in Edmonton. It makes sense that both sides would prefer to move on, despite Mangiapane still having another year left on his current deal.
Swapping him with Maccelli makes a little sense, as the Finnish forward has not exactly fit in with the Leafs, though he’s been more productive than Mangiapane with 10 goals and 24 points through 46 games. Both players carry similar cap hits, though Maccelli is set to become an RFA this upcoming summer.
These are two players who are in need of a change of scenery and are playing on teams that have been underperforming this season. A straight swap across the table seems like it could be beneficial for both teams, yet it appears Toronto is not looking to make that kind of move.
We’ll have to wait and see if Bowman can find a team more open to taking Mangiapane before next Friday’s deadline hits.