Mangiapane, 28, has spent the past seven seasons in Calgary
Andrew Mangiapane didn’t factor in the long-term plans, or didn’t fit the long-range salary structure, for the Calgary Flames.
And so he is the latest farewell, another regular traded away for a future asset.
Mangiapane was swapped Thursday evening to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Flames did not retain any salary in the deal.
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The 28-year-old Mangiapane has one season remaining on his current contract. The hard-working winger is already collecting a cap hit of US$5.8 million, and in-their-prime NHLers don’t often settle for a pay cut in their late 20s.
“Today’s trade provides us with an increase in valuable draft capital and we have continued to emphasize the importance of how upcoming drafts will influence the future of our franchise,” said Flames general manager Craig Conroy in a statement. “Additionally, this move affords us with more salary cap and roster flexibility to make decisions after July 1.”
The Flames now have nearly $29 million in cap space, plenty of loot for a shopping list that includes some depth on defence and more crease competition. They have also been rumoured as a potential suitor for winger Jake DeBrusk, who has played his entire career to date with the Boston Bruins and will test the market on Canada Day.
If you follow the transaction wire, you already know that it’s not easy to move money in today’s NHL. Earlier this week, the Vancouver Canucks had to entice the Chicago Blackhawks to take Ilya Mikheyev, while the Detroit Red Wings added a sweetener when sending Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks. (Both Mikheyev and Walman have two years remaining on their pacts, but at lower AAV.)
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That Thursday’s trade didn’t include any sort of retention or a contract coming the opposite direction is both a compliment to Mangiapane and a credit to Conroy. The second-round pick that the Flames acquired belonged originally to the Colorado Avalanche.
While this latest move certainly makes sense for a retooling team, you can bet some of Calgary’s remaining veterans grimaced when the alert popped up on their phones.
A sixth-round steal in 2015, Mangiapane wraps his stint at the Saddledome with 109 goals and 215 points in 417 regular-season games. He was a popular teammate, had strong chemistry with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman on a trusted forward line and was a King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominee in 2023-24, a nod to his community efforts.
Over the past year, the Flames have now shipped out seven every-night lineup locks — Mangiapane and fellow forwards Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, defencemen Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov and starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
You have to wonder if Andrei Kuzmenko or Yegor Sharangovich could be next on the block. Like Mangiapane, they are due to be UFAs in 2025. (It seems likely that the Flames will try to extend Sharangovich, but he will be asking for a major raise after a 31-goal outburst this past season.)
There’s certain to be more trade chatter Friday-Saturday at the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas. The Flames own nine selections, including two in the first round.
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