The 2025 free agent market is beginning to wear thin. That could push teams to take aggressive runs at the few impactful lineup pieces available. One name already generating interest is Washington Capitals winger Andrew Mangiapane, who both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken are expected to pursue if and when he reaches the open market, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The rumor was later confirmed from a Leafs perspective by Sporstnet’s Nick Alberga, who points out Mangiapane’s past relationship with Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.
The winner of the growing Mangiapane sweepstakes will be landing a very interesting player. Mangiapane has played far above his 5-foot-10 frame for much of the last seven seasons. He earned his place in the league with a pair of 32-point performances in 2019-20 and 2020-21, then broke out in a big way with 35 goals and 55 points in 82 games of the 2021-22 season. Even as he fell back to Earth in the wake of a career-year, Mangiapane continued to post strong numbers, reaching or crossing the 40-point mark in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
All five of Mangiapane’s strong scoring seasons came in a Calgary Flames jersey. He seemed to have secured a career role in the team’s middle-six, but that thought was extinguished when Mangiapane was traded to the Washington Capitals for a 2025 second-round pick last summer. The move instantly sparked questions of if and how Mangiapane could maintain his scoring with a new club. Those concerns were warranted when he posted just 28 points, split evenly, through 81 games of Washington’s season this year. He fell to a clear bottom-six role that continued on through the postseason, when he scored two points in 10 games.
But such a drop-off in scoring could indicate a return to admirable play could come with the a change of scenery. Mangiapane is one of the best value draft picks in Treliving’s managerial career, having gone from a sixth-round selection in 2015 to nearly-500 games in the NHL a decade later. That connection could make a move to the Toronto Maple Leafs – who are desperately in need of a scoring punch down their left-wing side – a natural next step. If not the Leafs, Mangiapane could also move to Seattle, who already have a track record of supporting his undersized, shoot-first style.
Mangiapane carried a lofty, $5.8MM cap hit through the last three years on his last deal. That mark is likely far north of what he’s set to earn this summer, but it could be enough to pull his price tag higher than expected – especially if a bidding war begins. Mangiapane’s final deal will be interesting to follow, and could precede the role he earns in his next team’s top-nine.