Pierre LeBrun links an Oilers forward to the Jets and this deadline rumor won't go away

Jan 28, 2026 (12:36)

Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Andrew Mangiapane hitting the rumor mill with the Winnipeg Jets attached feels like the kind of move that can swing a season.

Pierre LeBrun floating Winnipeg as a "fit" tells you this isn't just random fan chatter, it's a real lane.

Mangiapane's role in Edmonton has already looked shaky, and the healthy-scratch moment against Winnipeg lit the fuse.

His 2025-26 line sits at 6-6-12, and that is not enough for a winger who's supposed to juice your middle-six.

The Jets need exactly that kind of spark, because their record says the margin is gone.

"I wonder about teams such as the Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators or St. Louis Blues as fits for Andrew Mangiapane."

- Pierre LeBrun

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Winnipeg isn't looking for a savior, it's looking for one more guy who can score without perfect conditions.

Mangiapane plays fast, gets inside, and he can finish off broken plays when the game turns messy.

Jets fans are tired of "almost," and you can feel the impatience every time the offense dries up five-on-five.

If you're Scott Arniel, you can slide Mangiapane into a top-six look when you need a jolt, or keep him as a bully in a matchup line.

The cap piece is clean, too, with a $3.6M cap hit through 2026-27.

That matters for a team that can't afford dead money while it tries to climb back into the race.

Ottawa also makes sense as a speed add, especially if they want more pace around their skill guys.

St. Louis fits the same way, a plug-in winger who can push their forecheck and help the man advantage by winning loose pucks.

But Winnipeg feels like the cleanest hockey fit, because they need goals that don't require a perfect script.

The next few weeks are where this rumor either dies quietly, or turns into a real deadline swing.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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