The question over Anthony Mantha’s future has finally been answered. The New Jersey Devils signed the 6-foot-5-inch, 240-pound winger to a two-year deal coming off the first 30-goal season of his career.
Mantha, 31, will look to take the next chapter of his career as premium scoring depth in the Garden State. He signed a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.75 million.
Mantha’s had an up-and-down career. The five-time 20-goal scorer missed 69 games in 2024-25 after ACL surgery, injured in his 13th game with the Calgary Flames. That season was supposed to be a prove-it year for Mantha after his long-term deal with Washington expired. He ended that deal with Vegas, where he scored only three goals in 18 games for the Knights. Now, he might be the answer as to who will ride the tricycle with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.
What are the Devils getting in Anthony Mantha?
On size alone, you’d easily mistake the resilient winger for a big, heavy power forward. Mantha’s game combines his high-end shot, athleticism and size to form one of the most unique goal-scoring wingers in the league.
He hasn’t always been consistent. Mantha scored back-to-back 20-goal seasons in his early 20’s, but then failed to hit that number in four consecutive seasons. After the ACL surgery, Mantha had a remarkable season on a one-year deal in Pittsburgh, scoring a career-high 33 goals under first-year head coach Dan Muse.
Anthony Mantha isn’t known as an elite playoff performer, but he can play with elite talent. In limited minutes playing on Sidney Crosby’s wing, the duo outscored the opposition 8-1. In more than 300 minutes with Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins were above water on multiple possession metrics and outscored their opponents 17-12, per Natural Stat Trick.
Where does Mantha fit in New Jersey?
It might be tempting to stick Mantha somewhere in the bottom six to spread out scoring, but he’s likely the best fit next to Jack Hughes. In addition to Mantha’s success with Crosby and Malkin last season, he was playing in a fairly up-tempo Dan Muse system. Sheldon Keefe, New Jersey’s head coach, typically runs a less up-tempo style at five-on-five. Hughes and Bratt remain two of the fastest, fastest-paced players in the game regardless of what system you stick them in. Maximizing Mantha’s unique goal-scoring ability means putting him with two of the best playmaking forwards in the NHL.
How much better are the Devils with Anthony Mantha?
The Devils’ dream season quickly turned into a nightmare with a freak injury to Jack Hughes off the ice last season. Hughes has now missed a remarkable 20, 20 and 21 games in the past three seasons, with New Jersey 24-35-2 in that span. Prorated for 82 games, that record without Hughes would have second-worst in the NHL last season. It would have been third-worst the previous season and fifth-worst in 2023-24.
In short, adding a 30-goal scorer at a fairly low cost definitely makes the Devils better. New Jersey was 31st in five-on-five goal differential last season and 18th in five-on-five expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. Their inability to put the puck in the net was costly. If anything, Mantha should help in that category, scoring 25 of his 33 goals last season at five-on-five.
What’s left for GM Sunny Mehta?
The Devils’ new general manager is likely still trying to find a center who can adequately play top six minutes. Jack Hughes has turned into a fairly consistent injury liability. It’s no longer safe to assume Hughes can play a full NHL season. He’s a unique weapon whether he’s on the wing or at center, and the Devils need to find a way to maximize that.
New Jersey could have looked for a creative solution, like trading with their arch-rival, the New York Rangers, for center Vincent Trocheck. That ship has sailed with Trocheck now in Utah. The Devils tried to acquire Barrett Hayton from Utah. A trade reportedly fell through at the NHL Draft, according to TSN’s Elliotte Friedman. He revealed that backstory on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” last week. The Devils tried a poison-pill offer sheet of Hayton, but Utah matched.
New Jersey can platoon the 3C spot for now with the acquisition of Evan Rodrigues from Florida. He, Nick Bjugstad and Cody Glass can all play center. Unless they acquire a player like Shane Wright on his entry-level deal, the Devils probably don’t have enough cap space to bring in a center who fits the middle-six definition. With $3.85 million left in cap space, the Devils might need to wait for something to shake loose in-season. Plus, once the season begins, their cap space will multiply through the accrual process.
Mantha checks one more box for Mehta. Now the Devils have to hope their most important player is healthy. A healthy Jack Hughes will feed Mantha great passes while creating time and space.
Fantasy hockey players should keep an eye on Mantha. The Devils, meanwhile, should keep an eye on the trade market.
Devils Sign Resilient 33 Goal Winger