The Senators have already checked off their biggest internal box by bringing Claude Giroux back into the fold. With that done, Ottawa’s focus in the second week of NHL free agency should turn to a forward who can change the look of its top six. Anthony Mantha fits that bill.
Ottawa has a little more clarity now in its top nine, but if the club wants to keep building after getting back into the playoffs, it still needs more size, more scoring and more finishing touch on the wing. Mantha brings all three.
He is coming off the best season of his 11-year career, scoring 33 goals and finishing with 64 points in 81 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. That kind of production would give the Senators a real threat in their top six.
He also brings the kind of frame Ottawa has been hunting for. At six-foot-five, Mantha is the sort of big winger who can make life miserable around the crease.
He added seven goals and six assists on the power play, which gives a team another avenue to get him involved offensively. In Ottawa, he could land on a line with Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson, while Ridly Greig slides down to the third line with Claude Giroux.
There’s obvious upside here, but there’s also risk. Mantha’s 30-goal season came with a 21.7 shooting percentage, a number far above his career mark of 13.8.
Expecting that kind of finishing rate to stick would be a stretch. Still, if the Senators put him in a top-six role, their forward group would look deeper to start the season.
Money is the other question. Mantha made $2.5 million last season, but he could be chasing something in the $5-6 million range now.
Ottawa has about $4.2 million left after the Giroux deal, and it may not want to use all of that in one swing just yet. Even so, this is the kind of gamble the Senators may need to take if they want to keep pace in their division.
There’s also a simple strategic reason to move quickly: signing Mantha would keep him away from a rival. The Toronto Maple Leafs have already made moves that have annoyed Senators fans, from getting the first overall pick in Gavin McKenna, to signing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and trading for former Sens forward Nick Paul.
They also added Senators icon Daniel Alfredsson to their coaching staff, a move that was described as absolutely nauseating for this fan base. Toronto may not be finished either, and Mantha would fit the kind of forward depth they’re trying to build.
The Buffalo Sabres are also reportedly in the mix, which is another reason Ottawa should be aggressive. At this point in free agency, there are still names out there, but Mantha looks like the one big swing that could genuinely move the needle for the Senators.
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When free agency opened, Steve Staios made it clear he did not want to treat Claude Giroux like just another name on the board. The Senators executive kept a roster spot available for the veteran, a sign Ottawa valued more than production from a player who has become one of the teams most trusted voices and a steadying presence in the room.
The push to keep Giroux around has been going on for months, with the Senators even putting a contract in front of him before the trade deadline. His role has only grown more important as leadership questions have sharpened around the roster, and Giroux has repeatedly sounded comfortable in Ottawas locker room, where he has said he enjoys being around the group. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Quietly Secured Important Right Side Blue Line Depth
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Now the next chapter is already drawing interest overseas, with multiple KHL clubs watching the wingers market as he moves into unrestricted free agency. For Ottawa, it is another reminder that a player can be useful at one level and still end up somewhere else entirely when contract decisions have to be made. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Power Play Could Be Headed For A Risky New Direction
The Senators made sure Claude Giroux isnt going anywhere after all, bringing him back on a one-year deal that keeps a familiar veteran presence in the room as Ottawa continues to build around its young core. Its a move that fits the clubs broader approach: keep enough experience around to steady the lineup while still giving the next wave of players room to grow.
Girouxs return also gives Ottawa a little more certainty in a summer where veteran pieces around the league are still shifting, from coaching changes in Toronto to roster tweaks in Edmonton. For the Senators, the appeal is straightforward enough, but the structure of the contract shows there was more going on behind the scenes than a simple reunion, and the final terms say plenty about how both sides viewed the fit. [Read more 🡒]