Andrew Mangiapane activated off injured reserve, but part of "healthy competition" on Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks got some good news on the injury front: forward Andrew Mangiapane, who has been out since the first game of the season with a lower-body injury, got activated off of injured reserve today (Oct. 23).

It's a good thing for Mangiapane and for the Blackhawks to have another healthy forward on their roster.

On the flip side, there is a bit of a lineup question now.

How will the Blackhawks forward group shape out with Mangiapane?

When the Blackhawks started their season in Vegas against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 29, Mangiapane was on the third line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Anton Frondell. In turn, Teuvo Teräväinen was the healthy scratch.

But since Mangiapane has been on injured reserve, Bertuzzi and Frondell have become the team's second line, with Teräväinen slotting in. Bertuzzi, Frondell, and Teräväinen have had good chemistry, with all three of them being in the top five on the Blackhawks in scoring.

Right now, head coach Jeff Blashill has been running four lines that he is hesitant to break up. Besides that second line, Connor Bedard, Patrick Kane, and Roman Kantserov have been building chemistry on the top line. Ryan Donato, Oliver Moore, and Frank Nazar put together a couple of good games on the third line, and the fourth line of Ryan Greene, Jordan Greenway, and Cole Smith has been one of the team's best since training camp.

So where does that leave Mangiapane?

Blashill said about him on Oct. 22, "Today is the first day he skated. I don't anticipate him being in the lineup tomorrow [against Montreal], but he probably is available. But just with one day of practice, and this is a healthy competition when he comes back at forward. And I think a number of guys have done a good job since he's (been) out, especially as of late. So it'll be a competition, for sure."

In the Montreal game on Oct. 23, Mangiapane was made a healthy scratch.

It seemed like from day one that Teräväinen was his competition for a lineup spot. But as Mario Tirabassi of CHGO pointed out, Mangiapane rotated on the third line with Oliver Moore at practice.

Overall, there is a path for Mangiapane to make the lineup, and he will get back in the lineup at some point. He impressed the Blackhawks during training camp, and the veteran does bring a competitive edge to his game that the team admired even after they acquired him from the Edmonton Oilers last season.

But it looks like he might have to be just a little more patient.

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