It's March at this point, and the trade deadline rumors are churning. While the Detroit Red Wings seem tied to Jake Guentzel, as the conflicting reports of the team avoiding the Penguins star, plenty of other rumors are circling about.
A former Detroit Red Wings forward is at the forefront of trade deadline rumors as of late. Anthony Mantha has started getting more traction as a player who will be on the move this trade deadline season. In fact, he might bring some physicality and strength to the Red Wings forward core.
But the reality is that Steve Yzerman has already traded away Mantha once; there's little expectation that he will bring him back into the Red Wings organization. Though, there's a scenario to see where Mantha could end up back in Hockeytown with the Red Wings.
Detroit got the best of Mantha and the Capitals on Tuesday night in a slaughter of Washington. However, the focus here is the trade deadline, and Mantha is likely to be on the move. From the sounds of it, Washington wants to ship out Mantha and shake things up.
Former Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha could be traded soon.
Mantha has gotten hot at the right time for the Capitals organization. Lately, he's produced at a higher clip, with four points over his last five games. Overall, on the season, it feels like Mantha is playing himself to a point where he can be traded.
In 2023-24, Mantha played in 57 games for the Capitals, accumulating 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 total points. It's the most points he's put up in a season since the 2019-20 season when he was still with the Red Wings.
He will likely be traded at this year's deadline, and there will be suitors looking to bring him in; that's a certainty. Mantha is in the last year of his contract, with a $5.7 million cap hit. Someone will take a flier on him; being an unrestricted free agent after this season, he'll be a rental for someone.
According to Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek's reports, Mantha is on the move, and while Detroit may not be a frontrunner, another former Red Wing is involved. Former Red Wings General Manager (GM) Ken Holland could swing a deal to bring Mantha to Edmonton.
Either way, seeing what Mantha can do down the stretch will be interesting. He's playing to get paid and earn some money this summer, so he's someone who might serve as a quality rental for a competing team.