With the roster freeze now in effect as the Olympic Break approaches, the Edmonton Oilers are heading in needing a reset. While they are in a playoff spot, their recent play hasn’t been great, and it seems as though they still need to make some changes if they want to make another deep playoff run. One thing that has been called out is the Oilers’ lack of depth scoring, and while that could be an ice-time issue, it could help if they made some changes in their bottom-six forward group.
Related: Oilers News & Rumours: Samanski, Pickard, Trade Talks
In a recent trade board article from trusted pundit Nick Kypreos, it was suggested that the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens could try to swap two of their struggling players. For the Oilers, it was Andrew Mangiapane, and for the Habs, it was Patrik Laine.
“There is interest in Laine because he’ll be coming on an expiring contract. He would be a freebie with upside, whether for a playoff team hoping to find a cheap-to-acquire scorer, or for a non-playoff team like Calgary to get a free look at him before considering him long-term,” Kypreos said. He continued: “Edmonton’s Andrew Mangiapane is also on my list, and it makes me wonder if a Montreal-Edmonton match might be found here.”
Laine, who is 27 years old, hasn’t played since October 16th. In just five games this season, he had one assist. Last season, he scored 20 goals and added 13 assists for 33 points through 52 games, and seemed to have found a scoring touch again. Unfortunately, he ran into some injury issues again this season.
Mangiapane, who is 29 years old, has scored six goals and added six assists for 12 points through 49 games with the Oilers this season. He has struggled to find a fit with the Oilers, after signing with them in the offseason, and the expectation is that he will be traded before the 2026 Trade Deadline.
Theoretically, swapping two struggling players makes sense. Giving them both a fresh start and giving them both an opportunity to succeed elsewhere gives both the player and the team a new look. The main issue is the cap concerns, even if the Canadiens retained 50% of Laine’s $8.7 million contract and dropped the cap hit to $4,350,000.
Money Among Reasons This Trade Won’t Happen
The Oilers will be making some changes between now and the trade deadline, but considering their need for a right-shot defender and a top-six forward, adding money in Laine doesn’t make sense right now. They would also have to move on from Mattias Janmark to make this work, and acquiring Laine gives them next to no flexibility to make any other trades.
The Canadiens would be a better fit for Mangiapane than the Oilers, but they also could benefit from clearing at least half of Laine’s contract, rather than taking on another struggling forward and barely clearing up any cap space.
Laine thrives on the power play, and while he could elevate the Oilers’ second power play unit, there is no home for him on the first unit, and the likelihood that he gets much ice time on the man advantage in most games is slim to none.
At the end of the day, both forwards could benefit from a change of scenery, but the fit between the Habs and Oilers doesn’t make sense right now. The Oilers could revisit bringing in Laine when he hits the open market in the offseason, but for a team looking to build a championship-contending roster, he doesn’t fit the bill.
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