Washington Capitals forward Anthony Mantha was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. In order to keep Mantha under Vegas’ salary cap, the Capitals will retain 50% of his $5.7 million salary. He is in the last season of his current contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Anthony Mantha was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2013 and began his NHL career with the team in 2015, continuing to play in Detroit until the 2020-2021 season. The forward was traded to Washington in exchange for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round and 2022 second-round pick. The trade did not, ultimately, prove itself fruitful for the Capitals as Mantha dealt with injuries all throughout his career and consistently underperformed. In his 174 games in the nation’s capital, he tallied 92 points and was not a reliable scorer until recently. This season, he has scored 20 goals in 56 games and has become a reliable fourth-line winger for the team.
Las Vegas is looking to add depth to their offense, with three players (Mark Stone, William Carrier, and Pavel Dorofeyev) currently sitting on injured reserve. Should Mantha keep up his recent offensive abilities, he could be a great addition to a banged-up team and serve the defending champions well if they make another playoff run this season. The Golden Knights have won just two of their last ten games.
