Andrew Mangiapane Maple Leafs speculation gets addressed following insider report

There have been several rumors recently that the Edmonton Oilers were looking to trade Andrew Mangiapane after his tenure with the club hasn't turned out the way they had hoped and the veteran forward tries to get more playing time elsewhere.

He's a little bit pricey given his production this season, but as a player who is more than capable of giving you 15-20 goals, 80 hits, and solid defense and playmaking.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been a team linked heavily to the forward as they pursued him in free agency and could certainly find an opening for him in their current lineup.

However a new report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shows that the Maple Leafs may not be a destination considering they really won't be able to give up much.

Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast on Monday, Friedman mentioned that unless Edmonton wants to entertain a Matias Maccelli deal; the pursuit for Mangiapane likely stops there:

There is no real reason for Toronto to trade Maccelli at this point considering how much he's stepped up his game recently.

While he isn't blowing anyone away, he has found some synergy with John Tavares and Matthew Knies while also getting a lot more time on the power-play; and finding success.

After being scratched for two weeks and finally making his way back into the lineup, Maccelli has seven points in nine games (2 goals, 5 assists) with two of them coming on the man advantage and pushed his total to 16 points in 31 games (6 goals, 10 assists).

Mangiapane on the other hand has 11 points in 40 games (5 goals, 6 assists) but has been relegated to a bottom-six role and showing nowhere near the defensive metrics he's known for -- sitting at a ghastly minus-17 rating.

While Maccelli is a restricted free agent, he's still only 25 and will make roughly the same amount as Mangiapane with a lot more upside.

There was a really solid asset for the Maple Leafs in the summer when Mangiapane was a free agent but now that he's available again they should probably steer clear.

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