The Montreal Canadiens have missed out on signing top free agent forward Anthony Mantha. Montreal was previously heavily linked with the veteran winger throughout the early stages of the offseason. After all, the Canadiens and general manager Kent Hughes are eyeing a top-six forward. Nevertheless, Mantha has opted to join the New Jersey Devils on a two-year, $9.5 million contract.
NHL insider Marco D’Amico has now provided some insight as to why Montreal passed on a seemingly reasonable deal. According to the reporter, the Canadiens did register some interest in landing Mantha. However, D’Amico claims that “a legitimate offer was never placed” to the former Penguin.
The insider also hinted that bringing in the soon-to-be 32-year-old veteran on a multi-year contract could have essentially blocked future roster spots for youngsters Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky. Both of these highly rated prospects will not start the 2026-27 season on the Montreal Canadiens roster, but could join on as soon as April 2027.
D’Amico also recently discussed Montreal’s interest in Mantha on July 14th’s The Starr and D’Amico Show. At the time, the reporter claimed that the Canadiens were only interested in giving the forward a one-year deal. This, however, did not suit the new Devil. Money was not an issue in Montreal’s pursuit of the free agent, though. According to PuckPedia.com, the Canadiens have over $13 million in projected cap space. Hughes and Co. were clearly stuck on term regarding Mantha.
Montreal Canadiens Could Have Afforded Anthony Mantha’s New Contract
GettyFormer Penguin Anthony Mantha would have been a solid addition to the Montreal Canadiens.
While the Montreal Canadiens passed on Mantha, his new contract is seemingly a discount for New Jersey. The Athletic’s Chris Johnston previously predicted that the former Penguin would receive a deal in the neighborhood of four years, $25 million (around $6.3 million AAV). Nevertheless, the veteran seemingly had to bend on his asking price due to a lack of big offers.
Some Canadiens fans, however, are not exactly thrilled that Hughes opted not to make a suitable offer for Mantha. The winger’s new AAV of $4.75 million is quite reasonable. In fact, this is a lower annual salary than current Montreal forwards Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson. Assuming the Canadiens inked Mantha to the same deal, he would have become the 10th-highest-paid player on the roster.
Mantha is coming off a career year in Pittsburgh. The veteran racked up an impressive 33 goals and 31 assists (64 total points) during the 2025-26 season. Assuming the winger would have maintained this rate, he would have particularly helped out Montreal at 5v5. The former Penguin had 26 even-strength goals last season, and only one Canadien (Cole Caulfield) reached this figure.
Montreal Targeting a Young, Proven Star Player
The Montreal Canadiens will have to move on to other targets now. One player, however, whom Hughes is also hesitant to sign is Elias Pettersson. It was recently revealed that Montreal is unlikely to land the Vancouver Canucks star center this summer. The Canadiens prefer to target proven young stars, rather than a potential reclamation project such as the struggling Pettersson.
The offseason is still young, though. Hughes and Co. have time to address their need for an additional top-six forward. The Canadiens’ top exec recently took care of important business by signing Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes to multi-year contracts.
Canadiens Pass on $9.5 Million Forward for Key Reason