Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman had to undo his mistake from last summer, trading away struggling winger Andrew Mangiapane less than a year into his two-year contract.
At the time, it was a decent bet on a player who had previously proven to be a useful middle-six scorer and who had played alongside elite linemates and succeeded. He seemed like the ideal candidate to have a bounce back season but for whatever reason, he did not mesh well with the club.
The full trade is Mangiapane and a conditional 2027 first round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jason Dickinson at 50 percent retention and Colton Dach.
Bowman's second trade with the Blackhawks this week
The price to offload the $3.6 million forward seemed a little steep at the time, a top-12 protected first round pick in 2027. This marks yet another first round draft pick the Oilers have dealt away, putting their prospect pool in an even more vulnerable position moving forward. It seemed steep for a player who could very easily find his groove again and turn back the clock with the Blackhawks.
The trade also comes days after the Oilers paid a second round draft pick to the Blackhawks for defenceman Connor Murphy at 50 percent retention. In order to make the Mangiapane and Dickinson swap seem more palatable, many were combining the two moves but now with the benefit of hindsight, you do not have to.
Oilers' Mangiapane trade a steal in hindsight
The main piece coming back to Edmonton in the Mangiapane deal was Dickinson, a 30 year old shutdown bottom-six centre. Being able to offload Mangiapane's full cap hit, while receiving Dickinson at 50 percent retained, as well as a 23 year old depth piece for the cost of a protected first round pick is not a steep price.
Compared now to the recent deals involving Nicolas Roy and Nic Dowd, it makes the price tag look like a legitimate steal.
Roy, 29, was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Colorado Avalanche for a top-10 protected first in 2027 and a 2026 fifth round selection. Dowd, 35, was trade from the Washington Capitals to the Vegas Golden Knights for a second round pick in 2029 and a third round pick in 2027, along with 23 year old goaltending prospect, Jesper Vikman.
These two trades are both very big prices to pay, especially with no retention on either contract, both being $3 million. Although, both players also have another year on their deals, meaning they are not pure rentals like Dickinson is likely to be for the Oilers.
However, given Mangiapane's perceived negative value around the league and with him costing more than both Dowd and Roy, it seems reasonable to call the Oilers move a steal. Especially if Dach is able to develop into an everyday player for the club.