Scenes From Morning Skate: Why Andrew Mangiapane is taking Curtis Lazar\u2019s spot in the Oilers\u2019 lineup<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re an Oilers fan reading that sentence, you\u2019re probably groaning. If you\u2019re a player in that locker room, you might be doing the same.<\/p>\n
This is a begrudging pill to swallow.<\/p>\n
Lazar\u2019s been playing well<\/a>. He\u2019s embraced the fourth-line minutes, the checking role, the overlooked work that doesn\u2019t show up on the score sheet. He appreciates it because it\u2019s still the NHL. He brings energy, he wins faceoffs, he kills penalties, and he does it all without complaint. That\u2019s the kind of player teams value, especially in a depth role.Mangiapane, on the other hand, has been more centred around trade talks<\/a> than lineup rotations. He wants out of Edmonton. He\u2019s been a healthy scratch for the last little bit. And now, he\u2019s getting another chance while a guy who\u2019s actually contributing gets sent to the press box.<\/p>\n It\u2019s frustrating. For fans, sure. But also for the players.<\/p>\n Guys don\u2019t want to work with players who want out. And honestly, can you blame them? Hockey\u2019s a team sport. Chemistry matters. Trust matters. When someone\u2019s mentally checked out, when they\u2019re more focused on getting traded than helping the team win, it affects the dynamic. Players notice. They talk. And they\u2019re not thrilled about it.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the reality: Mangiapane has been sitting for a long time. Too long. Sooner or later, Kris Knoblauch has to play him and keep his legs somewhat fresh. If the Oilers are trying to trade him \u2014 and they almost certainly are \u2014 they can\u2019t let him rot in the press box for months.<\/p>\n So Knoblauch\u2019s stuck. He doesn\u2019t want to scratch Lazar, who\u2019s earned his spot. But he also can\u2019t let Mangiapane collect dust. The solution? Rotate them. Give Mangiapane a game here and there to keep him warm, keep him somewhat game-ready, and hope a trade materializes before this becomes a bigger problem.<\/p>\n Does this mean Mangiapane is taking a roster spot long-term? No. It just means the Oilers are keeping him functional by throwing him in the lineup against easier teams like the Leafs. They\u2019re managing an awkward situation the best they can while trying to find a trade partner willing to take on a player who\u2019s openly disengaged.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t make it easier to watch. Lazar\u2019s done everything right, and he\u2019s the one sitting. Mangiapane\u2019s done the opposite, and he\u2019s getting another chance. It\u2019s not fair, but it\u2019s the business side of hockey. Sometimes roster decisions aren\u2019t about who deserves it \u2014 they\u2019re about asset management.<\/p>\n The Oilers need to keep Mangiapane somewhat ready so they can move him at or ahead of the deadline. That\u2019s the calculation. It\u2019s not about rewarding him or punishing Lazar. It\u2019s about making sure Mangiapane doesn\u2019t lose all trade value by becoming completely inactive.<\/p>\n Still, it stings. Lazar\u2019s been a professional. Mangiapane hasn\u2019t. And yet, Lazar\u2019s the one watching from the press box tonight.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the unfortunate reality. The Oilers are stuck managing a player who doesn\u2019t want to be here while trying to keep a functional lineup intact. Knoblauch\u2019s doing what he has to do, even if nobody likes it.<\/p>\n RNH \u2013 McDavid \u2013 Hyman<\/p>\n Podkolzin \u2013 Draisaitl \u2013 Kapanen<\/p>\n Savoie \u2013 Samanski \u2013 Roslovic<\/p>\n Janmark \u2013 Mangiapane \u2013 Frederic<\/p>\n Ekholm \u2013 Bouchard<\/p>\n Nurse \u2013 Walman<\/p>\n Stastney \u2013 Emberson<\/p>\n Ingram<\/p>\n ARTICLE PRESENTED BY bet365<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scenes From Morning Skate: Why Andrew Mangiapane is taking Curtis Lazar\u2019s spot in the Oilers\u2019 lineup And if…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-453369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}