Free agency is well underway, and while some teams have been focused on big-name hunting this summer, the Edmonton Oilers took a more patient approach to improving their team heading into the 2025-26 season. They never had a chance to sign Mitchell Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers, who signed with the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes respectively, but they did have a chance to bring in Brock Boeser, who was available for a bit before choosing to return to the Vancouver Canucks.
Related: Oilers News & Rumours: Mangiapane, Howard, Lazar, McDavid
The Oilers were linked to Boeser by a few pundits, but ultimately, he wanted to return to the Canucks, and inked a seven-year extension with them worth $7.5 million annually. The Oilers had to pivot, and they did a fantastic job doing so, as they were able to bring in Andrew Mangiapane on a two-year deal worth $3.6 million annually. Now, some fans pushed back against him being a good pickup, since his offensive production doesn’t jump off the page, and his role with the Washington Capitals last season was less than what he’s expected to do with the Oilers next season, but his analytics prove he is a valuable asset.
Andrew Mangiapane, signed 2x$3.6M by EDM, is a middle six energy winger who has unfortunately not had the prolific shot creation and finishing that made him one of hockey’s most efficient two-way wingers in the early 2020s since his 2023 shoulder injury. Reclamation project. pic.twitter.com/6uJNHY1Rvw
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 2, 2025
Now, there is a lot of red when you look at his analytics, but let’s consider some things.
Comparing him to Boeser, Mangiapane is stronger defensively and is trusted more in defensive situations. Offensively, they’re about the same in terms of driving the play, but Boeser seemed to rely on his teammates rather than creating offensive production for himself and his linemates. Mangiapane should be one of the very few players around the league who can elevate Leon Draisaitl.
His finishing percentage isn’t great, but gaining some confidence in a larger role with the Oilers should help him find that natural offensive touch again as he looks to become a key part of their success as they try to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final, and win their first Stanley Cup Final since 1990.
Let’s have a look at another model:
A perfectly fair deal for Andrew Mangiapane as a top nine guy, but there’s probably some upside here if the Oilers use him in a top six role. pic.twitter.com/9MPw9W6gkY
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) July 2, 2025
Again, an offensive down year for him affects his numbers negatively, but the upside if he bounces back and maintains a strong defensive game could be well worth it for the Oilers. The risk of Boeser not fitting with the Oilers was too high to take a chance on, so it’s a blessing in disguise that they avoided bringing him in, due to the potential risks of the long-term deal he was looking for.
Now, this isn’t to say Boeser is a bad hockey player, because he is a natural goal scorer who has a much stronger ability to finish. However, I would much rather have Mangiapane at $3.6 million than Boeser at over $7 million. There isn’t that much of a gap between them, and with the Oilers having some salary cap issues heading into the 2025-26 campaign, this was a much better decision than overpaying for Boeser.
Oilers Lost Five Key Players, Can Mangiapane Replace Them?
The biggest concern is what the Oilers are doing to replace the players they lost. Corey Perry signed with the Los Angeles Kings, Connor Brown signed with the New Jersey Devils, John Klingberg signed with the San Jose Sharks, Viktor Arvidsson was traded to the Boston Bruins, and Jeff Skinner was allowed to walk to free agency and will not return to the Oilers. All five of them brought something important to the Oilers this season, so what happens now?
Mangiapane won’t single-handedly be able to replace them, but some internal pieces could pay off in a big way. Matthew Savoie is expected to take a big step and should be a key piece in the Oilers’ lineup next season, while David Tomasek should provide some depth production coming over from Europe on a one-year deal.
This could also mean the Oilers aren’t quite done this offseason. They have plenty of time to make more moves and continue filling out their roster, but for now, adding Mangiapane instead of Boeser is the right move. Now, fans will just have to be patient as they continue in their journey to becoming a championship contender again.
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