This further extends to his penalty-killing ability. While he was not a regular penalty-killer in Washington, he was consistently deployed there throughout his tenure with Calgary, as from 2021-22 through 2023-24, Mangiapane was on-ice for 5.8 goals and 5.6 expected goals against per hour on the PK, while the Flames allowed 6.7 goals and 7.3 expected goals per hour without Mangiapane on-ice. His net PK impact (measured using EvolvingHockey’s short-handed defence GAR model) ranked in the 72nd percentile among all forwards in that span.

Furthermore, Mangiapane most commonly played in a bottom-six role with centre Lars Eller with the Capitals in 2024-25. And, there was a stark difference in his results with and without Eller as seen below.
It should be noted that, throughout his tenure in Calgary, Mangiapane primarily played with the Flames’ top centres, most notably Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm. The drop in his quality of teammates likely played a significant role in his overall subpar production rates with Washington, as his results in Calgary, combined with his results away from Eller in Washington, showcase there is legitimate offensive potential for him next to higher-calibre players.

So, with all of that in mind, I believe there are a couple of reasonable conclusions that can be made from these results.

Defensively, Mangiapane is extremely useful. His teams have consistently allowed fewer goals and scoring chances with Mangiapane on the ice, whether it’s at even strength or on the penalty kill, and in both a challenging top-six role and a limited bottom-six environment. Considering that many of Edmonton’s wingers who left this summer were below-average or even quite poor defensively, namely Evander Kane, Mangiapane seems to be a fresh breath of air in this regard. I believe this could make a significant difference in the playoffs.

However, the big question with Mangiapane is what his offensive impact will look like. Perhaps the answer lies in the middle of all of this; considering how his offensive rates and volume shooting immediately declined following his shoulder surgery, it’s reasonable to assume that we may not see the 35-goal Mangiapane from 2021-22 again. But considering his results without Eller, there still is genuine potential here.

Mangiapane seems to be a strong, versatile two-way complementary player. He may not be able to drive offence on his own in a bottom-six role, but his track record suggests that he can excel next to skill in a top-six role. For that reason, he should obtain consistent time next to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, and you should expect a considerable rise in production.

Granted he stays healthy, it’s reasonable to project at least ~35-40 points, a 5v5 points/60 rate ranging around ~1.6-1.8, and excellent defence (both at EV and on the PK) from Mangiapane in 2024-25. These results would be well worth his cap hit.