The New Jersey Devils landed Anthony Mantha on a two-year deal worth $4.75 million per season, and the move says a lot about how they chose to spend their offseason money. After the Utah Mammoth matched the Devils’ offer sheet for Barrett Hayton, New Jersey pivoted and used that cap space on a winger who has already shown he can put up 30 goals.
That kind of finishing touch is exactly what the Devils were chasing. With Jack Hughes drawing heavy defensive attention and Jesper Bratt handling the playmaking, Mantha gives them another scoring threat on the wing.
New Devils GM Sunny Mehta made the signing as part of a push to get the team back into contender form, and on paper it gives New Jersey a real step forward. Without Mantha, it would be harder to argue the Devils improved much this offseason.
There’s still the obvious caveat with Mantha: health. His ceiling is high, but injuries have made his career a constant question mark. If he stays on the ice, though, the Devils believe he can score 30 goals a season.
The timing of the Hayton situation almost cost them the chance. Because the CBA process dragged on, New Jersey came close to missing out on Mantha entirely.
A new report from M Live reporter Ansar Khan adds another twist to how this all came together. Khan says Steve Yzerman was close to a deal with Mantha before he got fired, and that the collapse of that situation changed the winger’s path. Mantha, who played for the Detroit Red Wings before being traded to the Washington Capitals in 2021, had been nearing a one-year agreement worth around $5 million.
That would have paid slightly more on a yearly basis, but it would have been far less money overall than what Mantha ultimately got from the Devils.
According to Khan, the front-office shakeup in Detroit mattered. Mantha didn’t want to land in a place with uncertainty, and New Jersey offered the opposite.
The Devils have stability at the top, and Mehta is expected to stay put. Mantha was looking for a solid foundation after moving around in recent years, and while he had a great year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he clearly wanted more than a one-year arrangement.
He got that from New Jersey. And if Khan’s report is right, he only got there because someone else got fired.
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Why Brett Pesce Says This Devils Charity Event Hits Different
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The event carries a different kind of weight because of what it represents, and because of how much it has grown as more players have wanted to be involved. Trevor Zegras and Chris Kreider are among the names expected to participate, giving the showcase the kind of star power that helps spread the message beyond one rink and one night. [Read more 🡒]