Zach Hyman makes feelings known about Oilers' latest $7,200,000 free agency addition

Andrew Mangiapane signed a two-year $7.2 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers last week after battling them for seven seasons as part of the Calgary Flames. He is expected to slot into a middle-six role increasing their depth.

Andrew Mangiapane was an integral part of the Flames team in the last eight years. Ahead of the third year of his last contract, a three-year $17.4 million deal with the Flames, he was traded to the Washington Capitals for the 2024-25 season.

Mangiapane scored 28 points in 81 games for the Caps as they made their way to the playoffs. That was slightly above his standards as he had reached a career-high 55 points with the Flames in the 2021-22 season. He received just 13:02 minutes of ice time per game, which is expected to increase if he gets more responsibility alongside players like Leon Draisaitl.

Zach Hyman during the Charity Celebrity Classic hosted by him, spoke about the former Flames forward. Hyman made his feelings known about the expectations behind Mangiapane and how he will fit into Oilers' scheme of things.

"We definitely are familiar with Mangiapane having played in Calgary for a long time. Just a feisty player, plays with a competitive edge and can score goals and isn't afraid to get in the corners and win puck battles."

Zach Hyman feels gutted about missing the Stanley Cup Finals

Zach Hyman suffered an injury during the Western Conference Finals with the Dallas Stars. The Oilers forward expressed his disappointment about missing out on the Finals. Before his injury, Hyman had notched up 111 hits and was proving to be a huge physical presence in the Oilers' lineup.

His absence was exploited by the Florida Panthers whose gritty defence got the better of the Oilers in six games.

"It was hard in the Final not being able to help, you feel helpless," Hyman said. "It's not common to be watching, especially in games like that where you want to be involved.

"I got a feel for it as a manager almost from the top, which was not fun. Watching those games was super stressful. When you are playing in it, you are not stressed at all, you're just playing."

This was Hyman and the Oilers' second consecutive loss at the final hurdle. After losing two back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, Edmonton would be roaring to go, to win one for the franchise and bring home the first Cup to Canada in over thirty years.