Devils Sign Anthony Mantha To Two-Year Deal

Still, there’s no question his 2025-26 campaign was exceptional. Mantha finished the season with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games with a +10 rating, averaging 15:11 of ice time per game. He played a crucial role in the resurgent Penguins team and led the team in goals, which is impressive considering that Pittsburgh has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, although both of them faced significant injury issues.

However, even with his regular-season output, Mantha was again a ghost in the playoffs. Throughout his career, whether with the Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, or the Penguins, teams have often opted to scratch Mantha instead of giving him meaningful postseason minutes. Throughout his career, Mantha has tallied only seven assists in 20 games.

Without a doubt, his injury history and lack of postseason performance led to today’s outcome. A $4.75MM salary is nothing to shake your head about, but it must be somewhat disappointing considering that it’s not even the largest payday of Mantha’s career. In 2020, the Detroit Red Wings signed Mantha to a four-year, $22.8MM contract worth $5.7MM per season.

As for his landing spot, the Devils make sense. The team finished 27th in scoring last season, which is unacceptable with players like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier in their top six. They, too, have had injury concerns, to say the least, but New Jersey should be more offensively inclined than they have been.

Assuming he remains healthy, which is a big assumption, Mantha should have a fairly consistent role in New Jersey’s top six. Acquiring Mantha will enable the Devils to shift Connor Brown or Dawson Mercer to the bottom six, enhancing scoring depth in New Jersey’s forward lineup.