The New Jersey Devils just made another move to reshape their forward group, and it’s a bet on a guy who needed a fresh start about as badly as anyone in the league.
Anthony Mantha is signing a two-year deal with the Devils at an average annual value of $4.75 million, according to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman. That leaves New Jersey with just under $5 million in cap space and a full roster of players under contract. The math works. But the question is whether Mantha can keep doing what he finally started doing again last season.
From a roller-coaster career to a bounce-back year
Mantha was originally the 20th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He broke into the league in the 2015-16 season with a brief 10-game stint, then became a regular the following year. His time in Detroit ended during the 2020-21 season when the Red Wings traded him to the Washington Capitals. He scored four goals in his first four games with Washington, which felt like a sign of things to come. That momentum never really lasted.
The Capitals shipped him to the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2023-24 campaign. He didn’t re-sign there. Instead, he took a one-year deal with the Calgary Flames, but tore his ACL early and played only 13 games. Free agency again. He signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins last offseason, and that’s when things finally turned around.
Mantha played 81 games for the Penguins last season and put up 33 goals and 31 assists. That’s a 64-point season from a guy who looked like he might be running out of chances a year earlier. It wasn’t a fluke either. He was playing heavy minutes, getting looks on the power play, and for the first time in a while, he looked like the power forward the Red Wings thought they were drafting a decade ago.
What this means for New Jersey
The Devils already added Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist in the Jacob Markstrom trade with Florida. Mantha gives them another middle-six winger who can score and play with some physical edge. He’s 29 years old, which means he should still have a few good years left if his body holds up. The ACL tear is a concern, but he played a full season last year without any setbacks.
New Jersey’s forward group is starting to look deep. You’ve got Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and now Mantha slots in somewhere on the second or third line. The Devils missed the playoffs last season and clearly didn’t like how that felt. They’re spending money and moving pieces to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Mantha’s contract is reasonable for a guy coming off a 30-goal season. If he even approaches that production again, the Devils got a bargain. If he regresses, it’s only two years. Low risk, potentially high reward. That’s the kind of swing a team takes when it thinks its window is opening.
Leave a Comment