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4 hours ago
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot of cap space and a win-now roster.
That seems to align with the idea of bringing back Anthony Mantha, who is a free agent.
Instead, the Penguins appear to be content to let Mantha leave.
According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, the Penguins were only willing to do a one-year deal with Mantha. That won't be enough, so he'll try to land a better contract elsewhere.
"The Penguins would have brought him back on another one-year deal, but that’s not happening," LeBrun writes. "Mantha’s camp, led by agent Olivier Fortier, will bring his client to market and likely look for a four-year deal. There should be solid interest, given the lack of goals available on the UFA market. I could see Mantha net between $5 million and $6 million per year."
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Mantha is still a quality player, when healthy, even at age 31.
"Mantha, 31, put up a career-high 33 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins after playing just 13 games a season earlier with the Calgary Flames," LeBrun writes. "He did have 23 goals in 2023-24 between the Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights, but staying healthy has been the issue over the years for the 2013 No. 20 pick."
The tricky part for the Penguins is navigating their timeline. The reality is that both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are now on contracts that expire at the end of the 2026-27 season. That's likely the point where Pittsburgh considers rebuilding around a younger group.
Mantha would've fit the roster that wants to win a bunch of games in the season ahead. Beyond that, though, he wouldn't have worked as well for the Penguins.
It may work out in the end for Mantha, who can sign elsewhere for some solid money. It just means the Penguins will have some serious productivity to replace with potentially someone new.
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