While there are questions about whether or not Matthew Tkachuk wants to stick around with the Flames on a long-term basis, the same can’t be said for fellow winger Andrew Mangiapane. Ritch Winter, the agent for the 26-year-old, told Sportsnet 960 (audio link) that his client is interested in a long-term deal to stay in Calgary:
I don’t want to get into the negotiations – I share Brad (Treliving’s) view that it’s never really healthy for the process – but I think ultimately to admit that Andrew has submitted a proposal on a multi-year deal tells you he’s quite interested in staying here despite the uncertainty that surrounds Matthew Tkachuk.
Certainly, Andrew feels very comfortable with the coaching staff, he likes the management team here, he likes the city, he’s had a good experience. He said to them he’s quite willing to stay on a longer-term deal.
Mangiapane is coming off a career season that saw him score 35 goals in 82 games while also adding 20 assists, career-highs across the board. Impressively, that came with a dip in ice time as he averaged just 15:44 per game and was the only player in the top-30 in goals league-wide to average below 17:40 per contest. Mangiapane also chipped in with three goals and three assists in a dozen postseason contests.
Those numbers certainly bolster his value in his final year of RFA eligibility while Mangiapane was one of 24 players to file for arbitration over the weekend. He received a qualifying offer of $2.45MM last week although, with the year he had, his next contract could wind up being closer to double that amount.
It stands to reason that what happens with Tkachuk could ultimately play a role in what type of deal Mangiapane lands. While they have ample cap room to re-sign their RFAs (a group that also includes defenseman Oliver Kylington, another of the 24 players to file for a hearing), if Tkachuk ultimately moves on, GM Brad Treliving may very well have to change course in which case Mangiapane could go from a secondary scorer to a top-liner with the asking price changing accordingly. Arbitration hearings will start to be scheduled as of July 27th and run for a couple of weeks so there is still some time to work out a new deal and see what happens with Tkachuk but it appears that regardless of what happens with him, Mangiapane is hoping to stick around in Calgary for the long haul.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
He wants to be the MAN!
Is that you EK?
Well, that makes one person.