Andrew Mangiapane clears the air on Maple Leafs' rumored interest before signing $7.2M free agency deal with Oilers

After their second straight Stanley Cup finals loss, the Edmonton Oilers signed Andrew Mangiapane on a two-year, $7.2 million contract. The 29-year-old forward is expected to play on the Oilers’ second line. His linemates could be Leon Draisaitl at center and Vasily Podkolzin on the right wing, while Mangiapane will add experience and depth to Edmonton's offense.

Before signing with Edmonton, Mangiapane was linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spoke about the rumors during an appearance on TSN’s "First Up" with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo. Mangiapane said he was aware of the Leafs’ interest, but it never went far.

"I think I was definitely hearing out the Toronto Maple Leafs, (and) obviously there’s some pros and cons," Magiapane said on the podcast. "But there was no really, I guess, firm offer or anything like that,”

Now with the Oilers, Mangiapane will receive a yearly salary of $3.6 million. He played last season with the Washington Capitals, where he scored 14 goals and 14 assists in 81 regular-season games. He also recorded one goal and one assist in 10 playoff games.

Magiapane was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2015. Over his NHL career, he has 243 points in 498 regular-season games and 14 points in 37 playoff games.

The Maple Leafs were also looking to bring big changes to their lineup this offseason. In his statement from late May, general manager Brad Treliving said the team needs to 'change its DNA.'

As part of that, we saw Mitch Marner heading to the Vegas Golden Knights after his sign-and-trade deal. Now, with Marner gone, the Leafs needed offensive depth, and that could be the reason behind the Leafs' initial interest in Magiapane.

Mangiapane’s choice to join Edmonton gives him a chance to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, if things go right. He is joining a team looking to improve its scoring depth after the move of veteran players like Corey Perry and Evander Kane.

Oilers' offseason signings include forward Curtis Lazar

The Oilers have also signed forward Curtis Lazar to a one-year deal worth $775,000. Last season, he was playing for the New Jersey Devils.

"I'm super-happy to be going back to Edmonton, I think everybody knows that's where my hockey career started, playing junior...," Lazar said, via NHL.com. "This summer, ...I was thinking of where I can get my game back and where I can help a team win? Edmonton checked all those boxes."

Lazar has played 572 NHL games and brings experience to Edmonton's bottom-six forward group. He brings strong forechecking to the Oilers' fourth line.