Anthony Mantha is heading into free agency with a fresh market, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have a real decision to make.
They can let him go. They can try to bring him back. And if The Athletic’s Chris Johnston has the number right, the price tag could land around four years and $24 million total.
That kind of deal would put Mantha squarely in the range where Pittsburgh has to pay attention. The Penguins enter free agency with roughly as much cap space as any team in the NHL, and they’ve already handled one important piece of business by re-signing Evgeni Malkin.
Mantha’s case starts with what he did last season. Johnston noted that he came to Pittsburgh on a prove-it contract after recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, then turned in the kind of year that changes his standing around the league.
"Mantha signed a prove-it contract with the Penguins last summer after recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, and he proved it in a big way," Johnston writes. "Long viewed as a dangerous scorer with an excellent shot who struggled to put it all together, Mantha struck for a career-best 33 goals and 64 points. The only sour note came from a rough playoff performance, which included just one point (an assist) in six games, but that shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Mantha reestablished himself as an offensively gifted winger."
Johnston has Mantha ranked No. 5 among the available free agents in his latest class rankings, though many of the biggest names are already off the board after signing with their current teams or having their rights moved in sign-and-trade deals.
Even with the playoff dip, Mantha still looks like a player who can help. For Pittsburgh, the question is whether that help is worth the reported cost as free agency opens on Wednesday.
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