Why the Blackhawks believe Andrew Mangiapane could be 'good fit' in their roster

SALT LAKE CITY — Taking forward Andrew Mangiapane’s contract from the Oilers helped the Blackhawks get a first-round draft pick for Jason Dickinson.

But Mangiapane, 29, wasn’t solely a trade pawn. The Hawks ‘‘dug into’’ him in advance and concluded ‘‘he could be a good fit’’ with their roster, general manager Kyle Davidson said last week.

‘‘I think we’re getting a very motivated player,’’ Davidson said.

Mangiapane, now four years removed from his 35-goal season with the Flames in 2021-22 but only two years removed from his most recent 40-point season, provides several traits the Hawks lack as a team.

‘‘He’s a really direct, north-south player,’’ coach Jeff Blashill said Thursday. ‘‘Sometimes we can get a little bit too east-west. We have some young skill that can play that way at times — that’s a good thing — but also you need a direct element to your game, and he definitely does that.’’

Mangiapane’s first goal with the Hawks on Monday, in which he drove to the net and had a shot by Ryan Donato bank off his body and in, exemplified his approach. He’s happy to vie for rebounds and loose pucks in hopes of scoring dirty goals.

‘‘Obviously, that was a lucky one . . . but it’s just about being there and not getting boxed out and fighting for those loose pucks in those areas,’’ Mangiapane said. ‘‘You’ve got to get to the net to score goals, right?’’

His offensive approach might turn out to complement one or two of the Hawks’ young, skilled forwards who seek space to make plays. It also could work on a checking line with fellow veterans Donato and Ilya Mikheyev, which is where he’s slotted now.

Almost 42% of Mangiapane’s shots on goal in the last two seasons have come from around the net, compared with only 26% of the Hawks’ shots on goal this season.

And even though Tyler Bertuzzi (57% around the net) does the same thing and has proved to be extremely efficient at it, Bertuzzi’s lack of speed (only seven bursts faster than 20 mph) limits whom he can play with effectively. Mangiapane (48 bursts faster than 20 mph) doesn’t have the same weakness.

The challenge for the Hawks will be unlocking Mangiapane’s game better than the Oilers did. He said the biggest key to success for him is playing ‘‘with a role and a purpose’’ he can take pride in.

‘‘I still believe in myself and feel like I can get back to the way I was playing in those early days [in Calgary],’’ he said.

Considering the Hawks just traded their best hitter (Colton Dach), best fighter (Connor Murphy) and best agitator (Nick Foligno), Mangiapane’s scrappiness and willingness to get under opposing players’ skin makes him useful, too.

At 5-10, he probably shouldn’t fight often, but he already has incited a bunch of post-whistle scrums and skirmishes with timely shoves and chirps during his first few games. It partly stems from his fiery nature, but it’s also partly strategic.

‘‘Sometimes you get heated in a situation, and other times you may be drawing someone in to take a penalty,’’ he said.

Said Blashill: ‘‘His feistiness is something that draws you into the fight. That’s an important element in the NHL because [when] you have so many games, sometimes you need someone to draw you in emotionally like that.’’

It’s worth noting the Hawks have several forward prospects who have similar attributes to Mangiapane. AJ Spellacy also plays a north-south game with plenty of physicality and toughness; Marek Vanacker also scores most of his goals around the net; and Sacha Boisvert is also scrappy and eager to fight.

They all will be pros next season, which should increase competition for ice time. At least for now, however, Mangiapane — who has another year left on his contract with a $3.6 million salary-cap hit — fills a niche.

Numbers game

As of now, the Hawks are slated to five forwards age 30 or older on the roster next season: Mangiapane, Donato (three years left under contract), Bertuzzi (two years left), Teuvo Teravainen (one year left) and Andre Burakovsky (one year left).

That's probably one more veteran than would be ideal, given the number of young forwards the Hawks have, and that's not even including pending free agent Mikheyev, whom Davidson indicated he would like to re-sign.

Buyouts of Mangiapane or Burakovsky would be relatively straightforward, but the organization seems to like both of them. It will take time to sort out the puzzle.

Among the young forwards, Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene are obviously roster locks, and Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov seem like near-locks.

That's six more guys right there, which wouldn't leave many spots for the likes of Landon Slaggert, Nick Lardis, Spellacy, Vanacker and Boisvert to compete for — unless changes are made within the veteran group.

"The majority of the players — if not all the players — in the room are going to be with us next season and beyond," Blashill said Thursday. "[Because of] that, it doesn't matter what the age says on their birth certificates. All those guys are important that we continue to grow them."

Get to know Mango

Blashill has taken to calling Mangiapane "Mango," which is a new nickname for him in his NHL career. He said he does like mangoes (the fruit), so he will take it as a compliment.

Mangiapane is still in the lengthy process of learning the Hawks' systems, but his move to Chicago with his wife and seven-month-old son A.J. has been relatively seamless. He has a cousin who lives in the city whom he will now get to see more often.

"It's been a little crazy and hectic, but it's finally starting to settle down and get back to some normalcy," he said.