Anthony Mantha lost 10 pounds, can he bounce back?
This is a big prove it season for the Washington Capitals. It is also a big prove it season for Anthony Mantha. He not only hired a therapist to work on his mental health, he put in work in the gym as well, already having lost 10 pounds.
His weight has dropped to 232 after being 242 last season. He hopes this weight loss he’s working on will help him play a leaner and faster game. He not only enters the final year of his contract but was also the subject of trade rumors due to his inconsistency.
Whether it was Jakub Vrana stands still angry about the trade or just Caps fans frustrated, Mantha has received a lot of criticism among Caps Twitter (I refuse to call it X, sorry Elon).
Mantha spoke to RDS recently which is the French language counterpart of TSN. The following quotes in this article were translated from French to English.
"“I felt I was missing a little notch in my game in that respect. Being stronger and leaner to be more explosive.”"
After 27 points in 67 games last season that included just 11 goals and 16 assists, Mantha knew he had to change his game and his playing style. That doesn’t make things any easier dealing with the social media mentions, and seeing trade rumors.
It probably got even more difficult as the Caps explored shopping Mantha but there were no takers. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
"“I need to have a big season. Let’s face it, this is the last year of my contract and I’d like to bounce back. It’s practically a second chance after last season. I’ve had other less successful seasons in the NHL or AHL, so I know how to come back strong,”"
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If Mantha can bounce back with a 20 goal season at the very least, I think a lot of those Caps fans on social media will cool off. At the same time, social media is a ruthless place where you cannot please everybody.