The Washington Capitals acquired winger Andrew Mangiapane in a trade Thursday night with the Calgary Flames.
The Capitals sent a 2025 second-round pick the other way in the deal completed on the eve of the NHL draft.
Washington general manager Brian MacLellan hours earlier said he was looking for a forward via trade or free agency. In Mangiapane, the Capitals get a 28-year-old in the final season of his contract who can play on their second or third line.
Mangiapane is coming off a season in which he scored 14 goals and had 26 assists. He has 227 points in 444 regular-season and playoff games, all with the Flames, the only organization he has been a part of as a pro until this point.
It’s unclear what, if anything, adding Mangiapane means for the future of 37-year-old winger T.J. Oshie, whose back problems have him looking for a sustainable way to continue his hockey-playing career without being in and out of the lineup.
“He’s still in search of a permanent solution, talking to doctors, our training staff,” MacLellan said earlier Thursday. “It’s the beginning of the summer, so we’ll see how it plays out near the end of the summer.”
MacLellan sent the pick he received from Colorado for pending free agent Lars Eller at the 2023 deadline to Calgary for Mangiapane.
“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 GM Craig Conroy said. “Additionally, this move affords us with more salary cap and roster flexibility to make decisions after July 1.”
The Capitals, who last week got center Pierre-Luc Dubois from Los Angeles for goaltender Darcy Kuemper, still have room to maneuver, and MacLellan also mentioned changing up the mix on defense.
“We have a little bit of room, the cap went up and we have draft capital, so it makes it easier to make things happen,” MacLellan said.
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