We’re into game five of eight in this never-ending slog they call the pre-season, and honestly, I just want the Oilers to get through these final games in one piece. And instead of writing a full recap on Friday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, I decided to keep an eye on Andrew Mangiapane and Adam Henrique as they get a few more reps in before the games start for real. Both guys are going to be counted on once the season kicks off, and we’re all expecting them to find ways to contribute regularly. Beyond that, let’s just survive another meaningless September night and move on.

Andrew Mangiapane is one of the new faces around these parts that I’m really curious about, and I’m pumped to see how he fits in with this lineup after signing his two-year deal over the summer. His time in Washington didn’t exactly showcase the kind of offence that dazzled in his final season in Calgary — he had a monster season in 2021-22 — but I do think there’s still plenty of upside here. I’m not saying he’s going to score 30-plus goals again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he clears the 14 goals he scored with the Caps a year ago. He’s got that Zach Hyman-lite vibe with the way he goes to the greasy areas, hunts down loose pucks, and makes life miserable in the blue paint. Case in point: his goal against the Kraken on Wednesday came off a rebound jam, and that’s precisely the kind of secondary scoring the Oilers will be hoping for from him.

So, when I saw he was back in the lineup on Friday night versus the Jets, I was looking to see if he could build on the goal he scored against Seattle. I’m not saying he had the strongest first game by any means, but I was wondering if scoring his first fake goal as an Oiler would add a little pep in his step. Everybody knows NHL vets use the pre-season to get their legs moving and some timing back — no one takes it all that seriously — but it never hurts to make a strong first impression against lesser competition. And while I wouldn’t say he was a game breaker in his second game, he definitely had more jump and energy. His legs were moving better, the puck was following him around a bit more, and he looked very dangerous alongside Matthew Savoie despite only picking up an assist in the third period. Fake pre-season points or not, I want to see more nights like this from the bread man.

Adam Henrique is coming off his first full season in Edmonton where he put up 12 goals and 15 assists in 81 games, and I’m really hoping he can find a little more juice this year. I get that he’s not getting the same first line minutes or power play time he got back in Anaheim, but he’s still more than skilled enough to chip in more offence than we saw last season. In fact, 12 goals was his lowest total since 2020-21 with the Ducks when he only played 45 games. Different times and situations — I get that — but I still think there’s more there. The opportunity might be different with the Oilers, but there’s no reason he can’t get himself back into the 15 to 18 goal range. He has the shot, he has the experience, he’s probably going to get looks on the wing with McDavid or Draisaitl, and now it’s just a matter of stringing together the kind of season we know he’s capable of.

Again, I couldn’t care less about what Henrique does or doesn’t do in the pre-season — he was mostly quiet against the Jets — but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how important his success will be for this team. Secondary scoring has been a story with the Oilers for as long as I can remember, and with Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner all playing elsewhere this season, guys like Adam Henrique will be counted on to pick up some of the slack. I’m not saying any of those players outside of Perry were consistent scoring threats in 2024-25, but the point remains: we need our veterans to step up on nights when the Dynamic Duo can’t be the heroes. Even with reduced ice time at this stage of his career, Henrique still averaged nearly 15 minutes per night last season, and I think a player this good should be able to give us more than he did a year ago.