Washington Capitals send Anthony Mantha to Vegas for picks

Darren Dreger, NHL insider from TSN, just reported that the Washington Capitals have traded Anthony Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Mantha had the season of his life in what ended up being four years with the Capitals. After he struggled with consistency he was the top of trade rumors over the summer but the Caps couldn't find a return for him.

Mantha leaves Washington with 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points, a good number on those who took him for granted with the harsh lesson of "you don't realize what you have until it's gone". In his career with the Capitals he had 44 goals and 48 assists for 92 points. Especially when you go from being called names to the second leading scorer on the Caps.

Now he joins a Stanley Cup contender in the Vegas Golden Knights who are going for back to back after hoisting it last year after a painful five year wait in the dessert (kidding, the Caps are the reason why they had to wait five years *tongue sticking out emoji*).

Mantha is a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $5.7 million. On July 1 the forward can test the open market.

The Golden Knights are getting a gem as they look to defend their Cup this spring. They sit third in the Pacific Division with a 33-22-7 record which is good for 73 points. The Vancouver Canucks look like they'll run away with division as the Winnipeg Jets chase them for best in the west. Over on the East it's neck and neck before the regular season finish line with the Rangers chasing the Bruins and the Panthers.

The return for the Capitals is a second rounder and a fourth rounder per Elliotte Friedman. There's the draft capital.