- Anthony Mantha is still the top scorer left on the free-agent market
- The Athletic’s Josh Yohe thinks a rough playoff run is costing Mantha money
- Read below for Yohe’s theory and where Mantha’s price could land
Anthony Mantha is the best scorer still on the free-agent market. Two weeks into free agency, nobody has signed him.
The Athletic’s Josh Yohe has a theory about the holdup. He wonders if Mantha’s playoff run with Pittsburgh is scaring teams off.
Yohe laid it out on X:
Mantha didn’t score a goal in six playoff games against Philadelphia. He took some costly penalties, and Yohe pointed to teammates hinting that certain forwards weren’t good enough in front of the net.
The regular season was a different story. Mantha signed a prove-it deal in Pittsburgh last summer while coming back from a torn ACL, then answered with a career year of 33 goals and 64 points.
Take a look at his season with the Penguins:
Chris Johnston of The Athletic projected Mantha for a four-year deal worth around $24 million earlier in the offseason. After that playoff finish, Yohe isn’t so sure the number holds.
There’s a recent comp for him to lean on. Alex Tuch had a rough finish in Buffalo a year ago and still landed a strong payday in a sign-and-trade to Washington.
Pittsburgh isn’t expected to bring Mantha back, even with cap space to spend. He will get paid somewhere. The playoff tape just has teams thinking harder about the number.
