The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers have been the subject of chatter this season. One of the most common themes has been the ongoing saga of moving two underachieving players.
On the Oilers’ side, the talk involving Andrew Mangiapane has reached epic proportions. The notable offseason signing didn’t yield the desired results in Edmonton, fueling talk that the team is looking to cut bait on the 29-year-old.
On the flip side, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded for Matias Maccelli in the offseason, hoping to offset some of Mitch Marner’s offensive clout. While Maccelli has improved as the year has gone on, he, too, is on the block.
That situation led to certain speculation that a 1-for-1 swap involving Mangiapane and Maccelli seemed ideal. According to notable commentator Nick Kypreos, that deal was on the table. The Oilers wanted to pull the trigger on this swap with the Maple Leafs. But Toronto nixed the deal.
“The Oilers were prepared to send Mangiapane to Toronto for Matias Maccelli, but the feeling is the Leafs weren’t too interested in it,” Kypreos wrote.
In that regard, the Maple Leafs were right to nix the deal. While a fresh start for both players would have made sense, the Oilers are much more desperate to move Mangiapane than the Leafs are to dump Maccelli.
Maccelli has a higher overall ceiling at 25, whereas Mangiapane looks like he’s out of leeway. His declining numbers over the last four seasons suggest his 35-goal season with the Calgary Flames in 2021-22 was an outlier.
Maple Leafs Could Have Wanted to Get a Sweetener
Since Mangiapane would have clearly been a cap dump for Edmonton, the expectation is that the Maple Leafs would have wanted a sweetener in the deal. Said sweetener would not have been a mid-round draft pick.
In fact, it’s fair to assume the Maple Leafs could have asked for something like a second-round pick or a mid-range prospect.
Such a deal could have enticed the Maple Leafs to take on Mangiapane’s $3.6 million cap for the remainder of this season and next.
Toronto and Edmonton May Still Circle Back on Deal
With the trade deadline fast approaching, there might still be a chance the Maple Leafs and Oilers circle back to this trade. Perhaps at this point, Edmonton might be more willing to add a little extra something to get the deal across the finish line.
For Toronto’s part, they could be ready to make the deal happen. Wednesday night’s 4-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning pretty much confirmed what everyone already knew about the Leafs. So, there is no need for the club to wait any longer.
If there’s a deal on the table, and the team can get some additional pieces, it makes sense to cut losses and move on. While Mangiapane wouldn’t exactly be the solution the Maple Leafs are looking for, he would, at least, be something the club could look at as a potential short-term fix.
Who knows, Mangiapane might thrive in Toronto. That’s not really in the cards, but still something worth considering.
Maple Leafs Right to Nix 1-for-1 Swap with Oilers