Vegas Golden Knights acquire Anthony Mantha from Washington Capitals for draft picks

The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired forward Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

Mantha is set to become a UFA at the end of the season while currently holding a cap hit of $5.7 million. The Capitals will retain 50 percent of his salary.

Mantha, a 29-year-old from Longueuil, Quebec, has found his groove again this year after several difficult seasons. Mantha was a healthy scratch early in the season, but he has rebounded for 20 goals and 34 points in 56 games. He has an 82-game pace of over 50 points this season, something he has never done in his NHL career. Mantha registered 48 points twice with the Detroit Red Wings, which he’s on pace to do right now as well.

Drafted 20th overall in 2013, the 6-foot-5 winger has a nice mix of speed, size and skill. His defensive game has improved noticeably over time, but it’s his aggressive playing style that allows him to stay relevant on the scoresheet. He’s a three-time 20-goal scorer, but is just six goals away from besting his career-high of 25 set in 2018-19.

Outside of the NHL, Mantha was the CHL MVP in 2013-14 after scoring 57 goals and 120 points with Val-d’Or of the QMJHL. He also represented Canada at the World Junior Championship that year, earning himself a spot on the tournament all-star team. Mantha also won silver with Canada at the 2019 World Championship as one of the team’s better players.

According to CapFriendly, the Golden Knights had over $7.2 million in deadline cap space after adding Mark Stone to long-term injured reserve earlier this week. Jack Eichel was activated from LTIR on Monday to help give the team a scoring boost.