NHL Free Agency 2025: Which 10 Blockbuster Contracts Are Redefining the Game?
Mangiapane is coming off a down year, where he produced 14 goals and 28 points in 81 games. Context matters, though. He was stuck in a bottom-six role all season, averaging just 13:02 per game on a deep Capitals team. He mostly played on a line with Lars Eller, whose game fell off dramatically last season. Mangiapane wasn’t put in an ideal position to rack up points, but was still an impactful forward because of his scrappy, high-energy playing style and high-end two-way game.
In Edmonton, he’ll have an opportunity to earn a top-six role alongside Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid. Mangiapane has the pedigree to shine in that kind of role — he produced at a 47-points-per-82-games clip over his final four seasons in Calgary. But even if he doesn’t click offensively, his penalty killing, two-way acumen and forechecking will replace some of the attributes they lost in the bottom six with Brown’s departure.
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