Could Mantha be on the trade block?
This one seems unlikely. And yet, I thought the same with Andreas Athanasiou as I cheered his 30th goal live. The core seemed to be coming into view: Larkin, Mantha, Athanasiou, and Tyler Bertuzzi. Yzerman named those four in his opening press conference as the guys who would be built around
Less than a year later, Athanasiou is dealt to Edmonton for two 2nd round picks which is now looking like a heist.
Yzerman plays everything close. In his career as a general manager, he’s traded icons and even bought out franchise favorites. He even flipped his own high draft picks when he dealt Jonathan Drouin to Montreal. In short: if Yzerman finds value in moving someone, outside of Dylan Larkin, he’ll make the deal that makes the most sense for the Detroit Red Wings.
True, Mantha just inked a new deal. But no one–except for Yzerman (and maybe Pat Verbeek or Kris Draper), knows what Yzerman will do.