The Washington Capitals are going in a different direction and they made the first step by hiring Spencer Carbery. But it looks like the Caps could (and should) part ways with Anthony Mantha, giving him a change in scenery.
Recently Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff reported that the Caps aren’t planning on sticking with the 28 year old winger who enters the upcoming season with one year left on his contract.
"“The Capitals have let teams know that they’re ready to move on from Mantha. They’re likely going to have to attach a sweetener to that deal.”"
That sweetener could possibly include a top prospect in the pipeline like Connor McMichael or Hendrix Lapierre. If the Caps don’t want to make a move that dicey, a contract buyout could be an option.
Mantha was brought on from the Detroit Red Wings in the infamous Jakub Vrana trade. What the Caps lost in Vrana was a key contributor during their Cup run that had tons of untapped potential but couldn’t get a long with anti youth Peter Laviolette.
The Caps thought Mantha’s size could help detract the speed they lost from Vrana and still provide some secondary scoring. It hasn’t quite worked out.
The previous season which was his first full season with the Caps saw Mantha suffer a shoulder injury long term. So we’ll give him a pass on those stats.
Last season was his first full healthy season but he struggled to find consistence with just 11 goals and 16 assists in 67 games. He missed a significant number of games as a healthy scratch in the press box.
Mantha hopes to remain with Washington and hired a mental coach to help himself with his off ice issues which should translate to on ice success.
But whether the Caps decide to give him one more chance or move on from him remains to be seen.