Anthony Mantha is still sitting on the unrestricted free agent market, and the Canadiens are apparently in the mix - with one big catch.
According to Marc-Olivier Beaudoin, Montreal has shown interest in the Quebec native after his strong season in Pittsburgh. Mantha put up 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games, along with a +10 rating, a bounce-back year that put his name back in the conversation.
But the contract discussion is where things get sticky. Beaudoin says the Canadiens would only be willing to go short term, most likely on a one-year deal.
Mantha, meanwhile, is said to be aiming for something medium- or long-term. That gap has cooled the fit for now.
"I'm told that the Canadiens have shown interest in Anthony Mantha's services.
That said, we're talking about a willingness to team up on a (very) short-term basis, while Mantha would be looking for a medium/long-term contract.
The chances of Mantha signing in Montreal are therefore quite slim, but knowing that things can change quickly in hockey, it remains a (slight) possibility."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
From Montreal’s side, the logic is easy to see. Mantha, 31, brings size, physicality and offense, the kind of winger who could slot beside young Ivan Demidov on the second line. The problem is that Kent Hughes has made it clear he doesn’t want to clog up the path for the team’s young players, which makes a three-, four- or five-year commitment hard to square with the Canadiens’ approach.
It’s also a route Montreal has explored before. The team once offered Jonathan Marchessault a short-term deal with a high average annual salary, but the Quebec-born winger chose Nashville and a longer-term contract instead.
For now, the Canadiens’ interest is real, but the contract term remains the hurdle that matters most.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Know This Familiar Top Six Frustration All Too Well
The Canadiens spent another summer checking on a familiar veteran name, with Kent Hughes and his front office again looking into Claude Giroux as they tried to add more experience to the top six. It was the second straight offseason Montreal had Giroux on its radar, a reminder that the club keeps circling the same kind of proven forward while searching for the right fit around its young core.
Edmonton also showed interest, which only added to the sense that Giroux remained a sought-after piece on the market. Instead, the veteran forward stayed put in Ottawa, leaving Montreal to keep looking for the kind of reliable production and polish he has continued to provide in recent seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face Another Big Decision With Zachary Bolducs Next Contract
Zachary Bolducs next contract is already shaping up to be one of the Canadiens more interesting decisions, and not just because he is a restricted free agent with plenty of runway ahead of him. Montreal has a growing group of young forwards to sort through, and Bolducs place in that mix is still being defined, which makes the timing of his next deal almost as important as the number itself.
A shorter bridge agreement looks like the cleanest path, giving both sides a couple of seasons to see how his game settles in before any long-term commitment is made. There is also a longer-term framework to consider if the Canadiens want to buy more certainty now, with Mavrik Bourques six-year deal in Nashville offering one possible template, but Montreal may prefer to keep its options open a little longer before locking in that kind of commitment. [Read more 🡒]