The Vegas Golden Knights have made a trade to make use of their salary cap relief acquiring Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals. The big 6’5″ forward is in the midst of a career year. Thus, he is rewarded with going to not only a contender but the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Moreover, the Golden Knights cap relief comes in the form of Mark Stone‘s salary as he is only recently gone on LTIR. Mantha is a great replacement in many ways when you think of what is available in the rental market.
The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired Anthony Mantha from Washington.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 5, 2024
The Washington Capitals Trade Anthony Mantha
As we mentioned, as the 29-year-old Anthony Mantha comes over via trade, he is having a great season. He is already at 20 goals, marking the third time in his career he hit the mark. Furthermore, the reason this has a chance to be a career year, is if he reaches 26, and he has 20 games to do so, it will be a new career high. He is on an expiring contract, so it is a great rental acquisition for Vegas. However, one potential downside to Mantha, is he does lack playoff experience, only appearing in 11 career NHL Stanley Cup Playoff contests. That isn’t a big concern as that experience has come within the last couple of years with the Caps.
What Does the Anthony Mantha Trade Mean for the Golden Knights
Mantha is a tremendous fit for the club and fits Bruce Cassidy‘s systems. He is a big and physical forward, who can score goals as well. Additionally, he is very responsible with the puck and has always limited his turnovers. For a team missing a great two-way forward like Mark Stone, this will really alleviate the pressure on others to step up.
Anthony Mantha goes from Washington to Vegas for a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 5, 2024
What Does This Mean for the Caps
This is interesting for the Washington Capitals, as they had been hanging around the playoff race. But moving someone like Mantha means they are focused on the future. Mantha was not signed passed this season. Now they are possibly trying to support superstar Alex Ovechkin over the next few years with the second and fourth-round picks.
Main photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
