{"id":10681,"date":"2017-06-08T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2017-06-08T13:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=10681"},"modified":"2017-06-08T08:36:13","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T12:36:13","slug":"detroit-red-wings-anthony-mantha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/06\/08\/detroit-red-wings-anthony-mantha\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Red Wings Protect or Not to Protect: Anthony Mantha"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a>. Without further adieu, we will\u00a0continue\u00a0this series with Anthony Mantha<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0named Red Wings rookie of the year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, and for good reason.<\/p>\n

Anthony Mantha<\/a><\/h2>\n

Right Wing,\u00a0Shoots Left<\/strong>
\n6’5″, 221 lbs<\/strong>
\nAge: 23 (This September 16th)<\/strong>
\nCap hit: $863,333 Per Season, One Year Left (Entry-Level Deal)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reasons for Protection<\/h3>\n

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<\/a>. 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<\/a><\/strong> or Frans Nielsen<\/a><\/strong>‘s wing.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Reasons for Exposing<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Verdict<\/h3>\n

Protect\u00a0Him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong> or Tomas Tatar<\/a><\/strong> 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,\u00a0he 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.<\/p>\n

Check back tomorrow as fan, but not coach, favorite Andreas Athanasiou<\/a><\/strong> takes his turn with expansion evaluation.<\/p>\n

Each link is a gateway to analysis of each player.<\/p>\n

Updated Protection List<\/strong>
\nForwards:
\nHenrik Zetterberg<\/a><\/strong> (May 25th)
\nFrans Nielsen<\/a><\/strong> (June 1st)
\nGustav Nyquist<\/a><\/strong> (June 3rd)
\nTomas Tatar<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(June 6th)
\nAnthony Mantha<\/strong><\/p>\n

Defensemen:
\nMike Green<\/a><\/strong> (May 26th)
\nXavier Ouellet<\/a><\/strong> (June 5th)
\nNick Jensen<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(June 7th)<\/p>\n

Exposed:<\/strong>
\nJustin Abdelkader<\/a><\/strong> (May 27th)
\nNiklas Kronwall<\/a><\/strong> (May 29th)
\nDarren Helm<\/a><\/strong> (May 30th)
\nDanny DeKeyser<\/a><\/strong> (May 31st)
\nJonathan Ericsson<\/a><\/strong> (June 2nd)<\/p>\n

Advanced stats courtesy of Puckalytics.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n