The San Jose Sharks will look a little different next season, and while they aren’t expected to make a push for the postseason, the belief is they will make some moves this summer that prove they’re ready to begin moving back toward being a playoff team.
One player they could pursue to improve their scoring ability is pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Andrew Mangiapane, who is expected to hit the open market and not re-sign with the Washington Capitals.
Mangiapane, who is 29 years old, scored 14 goals and added 14 assists for 28 points through 81 games this season. Throughout his career, he has scored 123 goals and added 120 assists for 243 points through 498 games which comes out to a 0.49 points-per-game average.
He is an aging veteran who might be more interested in joining a contender and making a push for a Stanley Cup, but with the salary cap expected to increase over the next several seasons, he could be interested in taking a short-term deal with a rebuilder, proving himself, and cashing in later on.
If Mangiapane is interested in doing that with the Sharks next season, they should be all over it. Youngsters like Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini would benefit from more experience around them, and Mangiapane brings that. It may cost them around $3 million to sign him, but they should be willing to spend that to bring him in.
