Latest news with #AndrewMangiapane
National Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
The retooling Calgary Flames are still over-indexed on veteran players
Article content When the Calgary Flames traded away Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Markstrom, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, it was a clear signal that GM Craig Conroy understood the assignment: Liquidate aging assets, clean up the cap sheet, and begin reallocating resources to a younger core. Article content Article content But the job isn't done yet. Article content Despite that sell-off, Calgary remains a team top-heavy with veterans. Last season, 71% of the Flames' cap space went to players 29 and older. That group also logged 58% of the team's ice time and scored 62% of its points. Article content That might sound like a team riding its experience to contention, but Calgary finished out of the playoffs and remains far from elite. Article content Which raises the question: Why is the lion's share of the budget and opportunity still flowing to a cohort that is destined to decline? Article content Building Through Cohorts, Not Depth Charts Article content In the NHL, players are more than just names on a lineup card, they're assets in a portfolio. GMs invest in them through ice time, cap space, roster spots, draft capital, and development resources. Those investments reflect strategy, whether the team is conscious of it or not. Article content The most valuable cohort in any franchise is the prime-aged group: Players between 22 and 27, who are typically in their physical peak and still under manageable contracts. A contender usually has its core and best talent in this band. Article content Then there's the veteran group (29 and older), which can provide leadership, experience and depth. But it's also where aging curves, injury risk, and cap inefficiency live. Article content Article content Article content The takeaway is obvious: Calgary is still heavily invested in yesterday rather than tomorrow. Article content To be fair to Conroy, this wasn't all by choice. Article content He inherited a roster built to win under a different vision. And after the first wave of trades, he still needed to ice a team. Completely stripping the room of veteran leadership can backfire on development and culture, so maintaining some experience was both practical and intentional.
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Washington Capitals at Minnesota Wild odds, picks and predictions
The Washington Capitals (47-15-9) visit the Minnesota Wild (40-27-5) Thursday with puck drop from Xcel Energy Center set for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NHL odds around the Capitals vs. Wild odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions. Season series: Wild lead 1-0; won on the road 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 2 Washington's 4-game win streak came to an end Tuesday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets as a +137 road underdog. The Under 5.5 hit. LW Andrew Mangiapane found the net for his 14th goal of the season in the loss. Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin scored his 889th career goal Tuesday to move just 6 away from tying Wayne Gretzky's NHL record. He scored in the Jan. 2 game and has 20 goals in 24 games against the Wild and is +115 to score on Thursday night. He's at +750 to score twice. Minnesota lost its second straight game Tuesday night, falling 5-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights as a +194 home underdog as the Over 5.5 cashed. LW Marcus Johansson netted the team's only goal, marking their only score across the last 6 periods. Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team's out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now! Capitals at Wild odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 5:32 p.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Capitals -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Wild +120 (bet $100 to win $120) : Capitals -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Wild +120 (bet $100 to win $120) Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS) : Capitals -1.5 (+170) | Wild +1.5 (-210) : Capitals -1.5 (+170) | Wild +1.5 (-210) Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -102 | U: -118) Capitals at Wild projected goalies Charlie Lindgren (16-11-3, 2.63 GAA, .901 SV%) vs. Filip Gustavsson (28-16-4, 2.47 GAA, .918 SV%) Lindgren picked up a win in his last start Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, stopping 27 of 28 shots. He's been sharp in March, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.21 GAA and .923 SV%. His last meeting with Minnesota on Jan. 2 didn't go as well, allowing 3 goals on 33 shots in a loss. Gustavsson took a loss Monday against Dallas but still played well, stopping 26 of 28 shots. He's been outstanding in March, posting a 6-3 record with a 1.69 GAA and .940 SV%. His last start against Washington on Jan. 23, 2024, was a win, where he turned aside 30 of 33 shots. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! Capitals at Wild picks and predictions Prediction Wild 3, Capitals 2 BET WILD (+120). I like the value on Minnesota at home as a slight underdog. The Wild have a solid home record and have won 3 of their last 4 at Xcel Energy Center. Meanwhile, Washington is coming off a tough overtime loss in Winnipeg and had to travel, which could lead to some fatigue. Minnesota has also dominated this matchup, winning 7 of the last 10 meetings. I'd back the Wild to win, but I also like the idea of sprinkling a little on Ovechkin to find the back of the net. Minnesota gets it done at home—take the Wild. PASS. I'm not going to play around with the puck line in this one, I'll keep my wager to the moneyline. BET UNDER 5.5 (-118). The Capitals are 4-1-1 against the Under in their last 6 games, while the Wild have stayed Under in 4 of their last 5. With both goaltenders playing at a high level this month, expect a low-scoring battle. The Under is the play tonight. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow @DrewPhelps05 on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
