Welcome to a new summer series on Last Word On Hockey. In preparation for the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21st, LWOH’s Detroit Red Wings Department will be going in depth on every Wing that is eligible to be picked by the newest NHL squad, the Vegas Golden Knights, who will begin play in the fall. The team will likely follow the seven-forward, three-defensemen, and one goalie format of protecting players, and this series will follow suit with that. For a brush-up on the expansion draft rules, click this link. Without further adieu, we will continue this series with Anthony Mantha, named Red Wings rookie of the year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, and for good reason.
Anthony Mantha
Right Wing, Shoots Left
6’5″, 221 lbs
Age: 23 (This September 16th)
Cap hit: $863,333 Per Season, One Year Left (Entry-Level Deal)
Reasons for Protection
Mantha showed flashes of brilliance in his first full NHL season, showing off the patented 50-goal shot that caught the Wings’ eye when they took him 20th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. His 17 goals and 36 points in 60 games tied for 11th in the NHL among rookies in both categories. He didn’t even start the season in Detroit either, called “spare parts” at one point by general manager Ken Holland. He left his first year on a sour note breaking his finger in a fight on March 30th, but left it as one of Detroit’s best up front and almost always played in the top six either on Henrik Zetterberg or Frans Nielsen‘s wing.
Among skaters who have played 700 minutes on Detroit, he topped the team in both Corsi-for per 60 minutes (55.05) and Corsi-Against per 60 minutes (48.13). His consistency will be a primary concern going forward, as he scored 11 of his 17 goals in the first 25 games of the season. He’ll have plenty of time to make adjustments. If Holland wanted to go through the trade route to pick up a veteran defenseman, he’d have to protect Mantha either way.
Reasons for Exposing
There is no conceivable reason why Mantha should be left unprotected even if Holland does not see a future for him in Detroit. To get the most out of him on ice or off, the protection stamp needs to be slapped on, because Vegas would snatch him up in an instant.
Verdict
Protect Him.
This one should be a no-brainer. Mantha clearly has a bright future in Detroit’s top six and may supplant one of Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar if his development continues. His ceiling is high and, if he played a full season, would likely have scored 20 goals. As a 22-year old that is a tremendous feat. The possession numbers are working to his favor as well and offer another positive sign for his continued growth. From the eye test his defensive game does need work. However, he is a young player known for scoring goals, and many of those have time to make adjustments. For a team that hasn’t had a 30-goal scorer since 2008-09, Mantha could very well be the next one that can do it yearly in Detroit.
Check back tomorrow as fan, but not coach, favorite Andreas Athanasiou takes his turn with expansion evaluation.
Each link is a gateway to analysis of each player.
Updated Protection List
Forwards:
Henrik Zetterberg (May 25th)
Frans Nielsen (June 1st)
Gustav Nyquist (June 3rd)
Tomas Tatar (June 6th)
Anthony Mantha
Defensemen:
Mike Green (May 26th)
Xavier Ouellet (June 5th)
Nick Jensen (June 7th)
Exposed:
Justin Abdelkader (May 27th)
Niklas Kronwall (May 29th)
Darren Helm (May 30th)
Danny DeKeyser (May 31st)
Jonathan Ericsson (June 2nd)
Advanced stats courtesy of Puckalytics.
Main Photo:
