A big trade offer involving the Canadiens and the Capitals is generating a lot of chatter right now

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Elias Edmonson
June 11, 2023 (10:09)

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In a recent article for the DailyFaceoff site, the excellent Frank Seravalli mentions the five players who could be bought out by their team this summer.

From this list, the name of Anthony Mantha stands out.

The Quebecois, who will be in his last contract year next season that takes $5.7M from the team's payroll, has not impressed with Washington since his arrival in the US capital. In 67 games this season, he only accumulated 11 goals, 16 assists for a total of 27 points. This is far from the 24 and 25 goal seasons he had in his early days with the Red Wings, which promised a bright future for the Longueuil native.

According to the CapFriendly site, the Caps should put $1.37 million on their payroll in 2023-2024 and $2.17 million the following season if they were to buy him out. This would be quite a saving for the team which currently only has $7.313M free with at least 6 more players to add to their lineup.

Many will see this as an opportunity for the CH to get a local talent at a lower price. If he is bought out, it is certain that he will not ask for the moon to have another chance in the NHL. Who knows what he could become under the guidance of Martin St-Louis?

In a recent episode of The World of Georges on bpmsports.ca, George Laraque asked listeners if the CH should trade for Mantha if the Caps add a second round pick with him. For him, it was a categorical no.

Anthony Mantha had his worst season in his career in Washington this year. How bad must things be going with the Caps that even if your contract expires this year, you want to get rid of it now even though you have room under the cap? It shows you how much he's not the same player, he's not there, not physical, only 11 goals this year, he's been put in the stands a lot of games. I'm on the side of the Montreal Canadiens, with all the problems we've had in the past, injuries, with all the veterans we complained about not being there, who weren't giving enough and who were sleeping at the wheel. The Canadiens won't put themselves in a position to go get another Joel Armia! George Laraque

On his side, his co-host Max Truman was quite open to this kind of trade as this year's draft is most interesting, even in the second round. It would be interesting to see if the former NHL player would be interested in a cheaper Mantha. It's likely that the answer would still be no!

And you, would you accept this offer? (This would be a trade that the Capitals are actively trying to finalize right now.)

TO MONTREAL:

- Anthony Mantha
- 2nd Round Pick 2023

TO WASHINGTON:

Future considerations

Otherwise, there is the option to sign him at a discount this summer.