Red Wings Nearly Brought Back Anthony Mantha This Summer

Anthony Mantha has certainly had some ups and downs over the course of his 11-year NHL career.  Even though his best showing came this season, it took a couple of weeks into free agency for him to secure a two-year, $9.5MM pact with the Devils, a price tag and term that came in below expectations.

However, he nearly wound up with the team where it all began.  Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press notes that the Red Wings had a deal in place with the veteran but it fell through while waiting for ownership approval.  Notably, the agreement was made with interim GM Shawn Horcoff, not outgoing GM Steve Yzerman, even though both his departure and Mantha’s deal with New Jersey were announced just hours apart.

Mantha was a first-round pick by Detroit back in 2013, going 20th overall.  He spent parts of six seasons with the franchise and while his play was inconsistent at times, he still managed a pair of 20-goal years and was on pace for two more had injuries not gotten in the way.

The 31-year-old has bounced around since then but is coming off a breakout year in Pittsburgh, providing full value and then some on a low-cost, bonus-laden contract.  Mantha picked up 33 goals and 31 assists while playing in a career-best 81 regular season games.

While it would be unrealistic to expect that type of production to be Mantha’s new baseline, he would have been an intriguing fit back in Detroit.  They lost both Patrick Kane (fifth in team scoring) and James van Riemsdyk (seventh) with only Viktor Arvidsson coming in to replace them.  Mantha could conceivably have filled the second slot, giving the newcomers a chance to match (or even beat) the 88 combined points from Kane and van Riemsdyk in 2025-26.

Detroit also easily had the cap space to afford him.  While defenseman Simon Edvinsson still needs a new contract, they have nearly $20MM in cap room, per PuckPedia.  That would have easily been enough to sign Mantha and re-sign Edvinsson while still leaving wiggle room for in-season movement.

Although a deal ultimately didn’t happen, the report indicates that Horcoff appears to have some leeway to make moves while the team is operating without a full-time GM.  While big trades (such as the Dylan Larkin situation) or long-term signings (Edvinsson) are probably off the table, Horcoff might have the green light to look at some of the other free agent wingers still looking for homes for the upcoming season.