Forward Confirms No Firm Contract Offer Came from Maple Leafs

According to now Edmonton Oilers winger Andrew Mangiapane, the Toronto Maple Leafs were interested in signing him, but didn’t pull the trigger. He confirmed the Leafs reached out and admitted he was on their radar, but said there was never a firm offer, opening the door for him to join the Oilers.

Mangiapane was a guest on TSN’s First Up with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo and was asked about rumors that the Maple Leafs had contacted his camp and that it might have been down to Toronto and Edmonton. He responded, “For sure, I think I was definitely hearing out the Maple Leafs, obviously there’s some pros and cons,” Magiapane said. “But there was no really, I guess, firm offer or anything like that”.

Mangiapane did confirm in other interviews that the Oilers reached out and really pushed all their chips in to sell him on the team. Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl called and pitched him on their plans. Letting him know that he could be a key piece in the Oilers’ offense over the next two seasons, it was hard to say no. He likely even left money on the table.

In 498 NHL games, Mangiapane, 29, has 123 goals and 120 assists. His breakout season came in 2021-22 when he scored 35 goals with the Calgary Flames. It was there that he worked with Brad Treliving, who is now the GM of the Maple Leafs. Treliving was and is looking to change the team’s DNA and Mangiapane is known as the kind of tenacious forward that might fit with the Maple Leafs. The Oilers saw that too, and beat Toronto to the punch.

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Toronto ultimately acquired Matias Maccelli in a trade with Utah and added Nicolas Roy in a trade with Vegas.

Perhaps the Maple Leafs pivoted and targeted other fits. It could be that the Oilers worked harder to sell Mangiapane on their vision. Whatever the case, Toronto was, at least to some degree, interested.

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