In the 11th of a 32 part series leading up to the start of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, we will look at the key off-season transactions made by all NHL organizations with an overall grade. Here are the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers added two players in the offseason. Both players are forwards. They are left wingers Andrew Mangiapane of Bolton, Ontario, and Isaac Howard of Hudson, Wisconsin.
Andrew Mangiapane
The Oilers will be Mangiapane’s third National Hockey League team. He played seven seasons with the Calgary Flames from 2017 to 2024, and one season with the Washington Capitals in 2024 to 2025.
Mangiapane had 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in 81 games with the Capitals. He was a zero with 24 penalty minutes, four power-play points, one shorthanded point, three game-winning goals, 95 shots on goal, five faceoff wins, 30 blocked shots, 74 hits, 11 takeaways, and 49 giveaways.
The shorthanded point was a shorthanded goal and came in a 4-1 Capitals win over the Philadelphia Flyers on October 22, 2024. Mangiapane scored the game-winning goal from Connor McMichael of Ajax, Ontario at 15:07 of the second period which put the Capitals up 2-0 at the time. It was one of two shorthanded goals scored by the Capitals in the game. The other was by Nic Dowd of Huntsville, Alabama.
Mangiapane signed a two-year deal worth $7.2 million on Canada Day. He is projected to play with center Connor McDavid of Richmond Hill, Ontario and right winger Zach Hyman of Toronto, Ontario.
Isaac Howard
The 21-year-old left winger is part of the Oilers effort to get younger, and still be effective on the ice when it comes to victories. Last season with the Michigan State University Spartans, Howard won the Hobey Baker Award, presented to the best hockey player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He had 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points in 37 games, was a +19 with 10 penalty minutes.
Howard also found great success at the international level for the United States. He won a gold medal for the Americans at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden and at the 2025 World Men’s Hockey Championship in Stockholm, Sweden.
This up coming season, Howard is projected to be on the Oilers third line alongside centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of Burnaby, British Columbia and right winger Trent Frederic of St. Louis, Missouri. Howard was traded to the Oilers from the Tampa Bay Lightning for prospect Sam O’Reilly of Toronto on July 8.
Projected Grade
The Oilers deserve a B grade. The Oilers deserve high praise for the signing of Mangiapane. The team was looking to increase speed this past season after losing Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway the year before. The Oilers believe they found someone that can catch up to McDavid’s unbelievable speed, and be effective.
The acquisition of Howard comes with more risk. He is projected to be a third line checker and when players are in this particular role, it takes time for them to be effective on both ends of the ice. There is probably going to be a learning curve here. The problem is the Oilers are expected to win now, and anything less than a Stanley Cup this season will be a disappointment. The Oilers also need to make McDavid satisfied. The three-time Hart Trophy winner is an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026, and the Oilers management must get a deal done within the next few months to stabilize the future of the franchise.
