The Edmonton Oilers came in with their biggest move of July 1 late in the day by signing forward Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year contract worth $3.6 million annually.
While it wasn’t the flashiest addition, it was a solid, calculated signing, and fans were more than happy to see it happen. Although the Oilers did more subtracting than adding on July 1, the reaction to Mangiapane’s arrival was overwhelmingly positive across social media.
“This is genuinely the best signing of the day. Great number and term for a guy who does so many things well. Oilers fans should be super happy about this given all the silly contracts being handed out today. Their patience paid off.” — Donovan Paulson via X
“Podkolzin–Draisaitl–Mangiapane may feed generations.” — Brett Holden via X
“Stan masterclass. That might be the best signing of the day, not even trying to be biased.” — Oilers Daily via X
“This is FANTASTIC value.” — Austin Hockey YT via X
“I love it. Stayed patient, cleared cap, and brought in an underrated player to a fair contract. Not the sexiest free agent frenzy for the Oilers, but they made the right decisions.” — Golden Era Hockey via X
“Might sound weird, but the Oilers’ July 1 was actually decent. They cleared cap space and while they didn’t make any big signings, they also didn’t hand out any bad contracts they’ll regret later.” — Spud McKenzie via X
“I hated him on Calgary, so maybe that means I’ll really like him on my team haha.” — jacksonondrums via Instagram
“I couldn’t stand him on Calgary but think he’s gonna be amazing on our side.” — evander__kovalenko via Instagram
“A responsible spend! He plays like a bigger player than he is and can score. Hides the puck well and has a lot of speed.” — Joe Carmichael via Facebook
“Now go sign Klim Kostin and bring him back for some scoring and toughness before someone else does.” — Tyler Thouret via Facebook
Oilers fans are already familiar with Mangiapane from his time with the Flames, especially during the 2021-22 season when he scored 35 goals and helped Calgary win the Pacific Division. Naturally, Flames fans weren’t thrilled to see him sign with their rivals to the north.
“Never cared for him when he was here. Always thought he was overrated, couldn’t stay on his skates. Had that one outlier season and one bar-down goal in the playoffs. Didn’t care when he left. I hope he has a bad year in Edmonton.” — CGYFlames1 via X
“Love it. Paying $3.6 million for a guy who never recovered from his shoulder injury. Scored 14 goals in each of the last two years. Love how even though he isn’t with us, he’s still fleecing the Oilers with that contract haha. Go Mangy!!! You deserve the dough!!” — Jay Ah via Facebook
“Good for Bread Man. Played with Ovi and now… maybe McJesus. He’s a good third-line guy. Edmonton will screw him around eventually… he’ll miss his Cup chance in Washington.” — Gary Broughton via Facebook
“I’m confident he’s getting booed next game he plays in the Dome.” — Joel Hockey Art via Instagram
Some Flames fans took the high road, recognizing that the NHL is a business. Others? Not so much. Meanwhile, some Oilers fans are still unsure of what Stan Bowman’s long-term vision is, pointing out that the team still has holes on defence, in net, and in overall toughness.
But the off-season doesn’t end on July 1. There’s still time for Bowman to make more moves or to simply wait and see how things unfold in the early going. For now, the hope is that the Oilers can tap back into Mangiapane’s goal-scoring form and turn him into a productive linemate for either Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid.
