Another domino falls on Flames rebuild following emotional Mangiapane trade

CALGARY — Hockey-wise, the trading of Andrew Mangiapane was a no-brainer.

Clearly identified as a player the Flames didn’t see as a core piece to build around into the future, Craig Conroy cashed in on a middle-six winger who is one year away from unrestricted free agency.

They saved $5.8 million in cap space, retained none of it, and got a second-round draft pick from Washington (via Colorado) in 2025.

What’s more, the Flames didn’t have to spend money to wait until the trade deadline for the cashout. 

For the purposes of a rebuild, this is a Flames win, especially when you consider the fact the Flames had to cough up a first-round pick in the 2022 trading of Sean Monahan and his $6.3 million salary.

Even after Mangiapane scored 35 goals in 2021-22, the Flames never saw or utilized Mangiapane as a top-six winger, nor was he given any indication his role would be augmented moving forward.

In that vein, the player wins too, as the Capitals have told him he’ll be used in their top six, as a penalty killer and on the power play.

Emotionally, this one had to be tough on the Flames GM.

Having already traded away veterans Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Jacob Markstrom, Conroy has quickly become used to saying goodbye to heart and soul veterans.

However, none have scraped and clawed their way to the bigs the way the five-foot-10 winger has, scoring 50 goals as an OHL walk-on before being taken as a sixth-round flier by the Flames in his second year of eligibility.

The quiet, unassuming Toronto native still blushes when telling the story about how his Italian mother read Dale Hawerchuk the riot act when the coach insisted her teenage boy should forego the college route to play in Barrie.

Forever grateful for the opportunity to build his game through three seasons in Stockton before making the well-earned jump, Mangiapane turned the opportunity into a massive win for the Flames and his family.

Just two summers back he turned his breakthrough season into a three-year, $17.4 million contract.

But with the sharp turn in the team’s approach over the last six months, there was plenty of reason to believe his time here was short.

Mangiapane’s agent, Ritch Winter, said late Thursday that while they weren’t completely surprised by the trade, they didn’t see it coming, nor did they request one.

Despite being on one of the league’s most effective third lines with Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund, Mangiapane’s role in Calgary was diminishing.

His goal totals had dropped to 17 and 14 goals the last two seasons and players like Adam Ruzicka got more power play time than he did. 

A change is in Mangiapane’s best interests.

A defensive stalwart whose gritty approach made him a fan favourite, Mangiapane also became one of the most visible players in the community, earning him honours as the team’s most recent nominee for the King Clancy Award.

Yet, the cold, hard reality is that “The Breadman,” as he is known in town, better served the Flames elsewhere.

“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 Conroy, who has nine draft picks to work with in this year's draft and eight more next season.

“Additionally, this move affords us with more salary cap and roster flexibility to make decisions after July 1^st."

The Flames now have nearly $30 million in cap space to weaponize, starting at Friday's draft and into free agency on July 1.

All should be used with an eye on making the team better when the new building opens around 2027, as opposed to trying to help the team short term.

A column for another day.