Does it Make Sense For the Chicago Blackhawks To Keep Former 30-Goal Scorer?
The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the hottest prospect pools in the NHL.
Ranked the best pool in the league by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, the team has seen talent trickle into the lineup at the end of the season that could be game changers in the future.
One of those players was the Swedish-born forward, Anton Frondell, selected 3rd overall in 2025 by the Blackhawks. The prospect made the bold claim that his game is comparable to Stanley Cup winner Aleksandr Barkov.
As the new-look team takes hold in Chicago, there are questions about veterans who remain in the lineup. One of those is Andrew Mangiapane, who was acquired in trade from the Edmonton Oilers in addition to a conditional 2027 1st-round pick. The Oilers received forward Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach in return.
Mangiapane is a pending unrestricted free agent, and peaked in production with the Calgary Flames during the 2021-22 season, where he'd score 35 goals and 55 points under head coach Darryl Sutter.
Fast-forward to the 2026 NHL season, and he's become a journeyman in the NHL, playing for the Washington Capitals (2024-25), Edmonton Oilers, and Chicago Blackhawks along the way.
Should The Blackhawks Keep Andrew Mangiapane?
He was a scratch on Apr. 13th, against the Buffalo Sabres at the end of the year, and scored only two points in ten games as a Blackhawk.
The team is at the peak of its rebuild, and while having a mix of veterans helps, Mangiapane comes at an $3.6 million average annual value cap hit and becomes a free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season.
Cap space is a luxury, and despite the fact that it is increasing, Kyle Dubas has proven to work with surgical precision with the Blackhawks' lineup.
Could he end up being traded to help clear extra cap space and make room for younger stars to be promoted to the main roster?
While GM Kyle Dubas has kept fairly quiet about future moves, the Blackhawks need to consider the chemistry in the lineup and prioritize developing their prospects over devoting significant cap space to those who aren't in the team's long-term plans.
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