Although, I don't think you can pencil him in as an everydayer just yet, Mangiapane is a really nice story. I wrote him off earlier in the year, it just didn't look like he projected as an NHLer. He kind of reminded me of Granlund in a way. Not slick enough to be in the top six and not gritty or big enough to take on a bottom six role.
Now look at him. For a guy his size he plays a pretty gritty game, and he battles hard. With that his skillset is starting to show though.
Before he looked like a guy on the bubble, now in the hopes of a long playoff run and the inevitable injuries that come with it, you can see him as a guy who can elevate in the lineup.
Under the topic of a youth movement on the squad, the guys on D take up most of the conversation and rightfully so. But the Mangiapane story is an underrated one.
I'm curious what his ceiling may be.
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