The Vegas Golden Knights acquired forward Anthony Mantha in a trade with the Washington Capitals on March 5.
The Golden Knights were showing a strong interest in the Capitals last month — sending at least one scout to five consecutive Capitals’ games Feb. 6-13 — but, at the time, we didn’t know why.
Now we know why.
WELCOME TO VEGAS, ANTHONY MANTHA!!!!! ????https://t.co/EtTA2mjPxW
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 6, 2024
Vegas gave up a 2024 2nd-round pick and a 2026 4th-round pick in exchange for the 29-year-old forward.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the trade, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the details.
In order to keep the Golden Knights under the salary cap, Washington is retaining half of Mantha’s $5.7 million salary. He’s currently in the final year of a four-year, $22.8 million contract he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2020.
He’ll be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
At the time of the trade, Mantha had the second-most goals (20) and fourth-most points (34) for the Capitals. It’s his third time scoring at least 20 goals, and first time since the 2018-19 season.
OFF TO VEGAS! ⚔️
The @GoldenKnights have acquired Anthony Mantha from the @Capitals.
The #NHLTradeDeadline is this Friday at 3p ET! pic.twitter.com/Y6IRceyMJq
— NHL (@NHL) March 5, 2024
The right winger was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut with the Red Wings in 2016 and spent the first five seasons of his career with the team.
Detriot dealt him to the Capitals midway through his sixth season.
And now the Capitals are dealing him midway through his ninth season.
Anthony Mantha Fills Immediate Need for Vegas
The Golden Knights were desperate for a winger with William Carrier, Pavel Dorofeyev, and captain Mark Stone all on IR.
Stone was recently moved to long-term injured reserve and isn’t expected back for the rest of the regular season. The move freed up more than $7 million in cap space — making this trade possible.
A name that is popping up on trade boards that interests me from an #NHLJets perspective is Washington's Anthony Mantha.
At 6'5, 234 lbs, he certainly fits the Jets' style of play. As a pending UFA, he's got 20 goals and 34 points in 56 games this year.
????: @JFreshHockey pic.twitter.com/jao0yrNPym
— Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) March 5, 2024
Since only $2.85 million of Mantha’s contract will count against the cap, Vegas still has more than enough cap space to make another move — if they want to.
But will they?
VGK has lost eight of their past 10 games and is currently in fourth place in the Pacific Division with 73 points (33-22-7). For a team that started the year 11-0-1, the Golden Knights are just 22-22-6 since.
Mantha is a huge help (and not just because of his 6-foot-5 frame). Having Jack Eichel back from a 19-game absence is delightful. But replacing Stone is impossible — both on the ice and in the locker room.
We’ve got full coverage of this Friday’s news coming your way on our Trade Deadline Show presented by @CirrusAV
????️: Friday, March 8
⏰: 1:30pm PThttps://t.co/sPwYgl10Vt— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 5, 2024
The NHL trade deadline is on Friday (March 8) at 3 p.m. ET.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas tries to make one more move to bolster their roster for another playoff run.
It worked well last season, didn’t it?
Stay tuned — a lot can happen in three days!
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