The Vegas Golden Knights, in their quest to win back-to-back Stanley Cups, are standing on business. With captain Mark Stone headed to the LTIR, the Golden Knights were able to bring in a few additional pieces to help them for the looming stretch run, with right winger Anthony Mantha being one of the pieces that Vegas has been able to acquire over the past few days.
Mantha, the man many had high hopes for when he broke through for the Detroit Wings in the mid-2010s, hasn’t exactly made good on the potential many believed he had then. Now 29 years of age, Mantha has disappointed in his past few stops, including the beginning of his stint with the Washington Capitals, the team that dealt him away to the Golden Knights.
Nevertheless, in hockey, the environment one is in is always important in determining how well someone can perform. For one of Anthony Mantha’s former teammate, he believes that the Golden Knights’ culture, led by head coach Bruce Cassidy, will bring out the best in the 29-year old forward.
“[He] has so much more to give. Put him in the right locker room and culture and you’re going to see the best out of him. He’s going to be a monster for them … just watch,” Mantha’s former teammate, who chose to remain unnamed, told Emily Kaplan of ESPN.
It’ll be interesting to see where Anthony Mantha slots in for the Golden Knights and where Bruce Cassidy will utilize him. It looks like Mantha will be a member of Vegas’ Top 9, with room for him to push for more minutes on the ice depending on how he performs.
Through 56 games this season, Mantha has tallied 20 goals and 14 assists, which means that he can produce offensively when he’s locked in. Given how many veterans the Golden Knights have on the roster, it certainly looks like Mantha will have many teammates around him to hold him accountable and push him to perform at his best.
The Golden Knights are not playing around; with the addition of Noah Hanifin, Vegas will be a ridiculously difficult playoff machup, especially if Anthony Mantha exceeds expectations.
More must-reads: