The Chicago Blackhawks will have a healthy forward corps against the Montreal Canadiens tonight. The Blackhawks announced they have activated veteran winger Andrew Mangiapane from the injured reserve.

Mangiapane, 30, has been on the injured reserve since Chicago’s opening-night contest of the 2026-27 campaign. The middle-six winger has been recovering from a lower-body injury since then. In his one appearance this season, Mangiapane went scoreless before leaving early due to the injury.

Unfortunately, just because he is healthy doesn’t necessarily mean Mangiapane will play tonight. The Blackhawks had an opening on their 23-man roster, so no corresponding roster move was needed. Chicago will likely look to see how he feels during warm-ups. As Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Blackhawks correctly points out, activating a player this close to game time makes it more than likely he will play.

Mangiapane is in his first full season with the Blackhawks. Beginning last season with the Edmonton Oilers, Mangiapane struggled to find consistent ice time. He ended his tenure with the Oilers having scored seven goals and 14 points in 52 games. A year earlier, with the Washington Capitals, Mangiapane tallied 14 goals and 28 points in 81 contests.

He was sent to the Blackhawks at the trade deadline along with a 2027 first-round pick for Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson. He finished the year scoring a goal and an assist in 10 games with his new club.