Mar 7, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Penguins' Kyle Dubas Has Easy Decision on Anthony Mantha

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Tyler Miller | Last updated Apr 2, 2026 7:00 AM ET

When the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas entered the 2025 offseason, the plan seemed to be to sign veterans to short-term contracts that he could flip later. And it seemed that way when Dubas signed Anthony Mantha to a 1-year, 2.5 million dollar deal.

But the Penguins and Dubas have gotten way more than they have bargained for in the veteran. Mantha had been coming off of ACL surgery with the Calgary Flames the season before and was looking to find his footing again.

The veteran has done that and more, as Mantha scored his career high 30th goal of the year in the Penguins' recent win over the Detroit Red Wings. Mantha has been plugged in up and down the lineup for the Penguins as he has played on the top line, second line, and even the third line.

That’s 30 on the year for Anthony Mantha and the Penguins are up by a pair! pic.twitter.com/7bC1omr6jZ
— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) March 31, 2026

Mantha also had scored 2 goals the night before when the Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 8-3 in a key Metro division clash. Mantha has been so valuable to the Penguins lineup and has taken a lot of pressure off of veterans Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

This decision should be easy for the Penguins general manager as he should extend the veteran for another 2 or 3 years. It would be a massive mistake if Dubas lets the veteran walk and loses a key piece to his lineup and his locker room.

The Penguins plan for a while has been to go younger as they have been one of the league's oldest teams. But Mantha is an exception and Dubas needs to do everything he can to keep the veteran in Pittsburgh.

Mantha and Justin Brazeau have been the duo the Penguins have been missing

The Pittsburgh Penguins have missed the playoffs the last three seasons which concluded the Mike Sullivan era after the third time. But a lot of that can be contributed to that they did not have enough big veteran players in their lineup that go to the net and can score.

But when Dubas decided to sign Mantha and Brazeau to short-term contracts in the 2025 offseason, that problem seemingly was addressed. As the two have combined for 47 goals this season which is a major reason why the Penguins are going to be postseason bound.

Mantha and Brazeau have mainly played together on the Penguins' third line this season and have been an unstoppable duo that has been broken up, but also put back together. And as of recently, they have been creating a lot of offense.

They have been wreacking havoc on opposing teams and have been a big reason why the Penguins picked up two huge recent wins over the Red Wings and Islanders. Dubas has done a masterful job with these two and both will be welcome presences in this year's playoffs.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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