Nick Wass/AP
Washington Capitals right wing Anthony Mantha (39) in action during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Washington. The Canucks won 3-2 in overtime.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | 3:52 p.m.
Anthony Mantha landed in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning excited for the future. He also has things he still needs to figure out.
Chief among them: How to get his wife, Caitlyn, and year-and-a-half-old daughter, Naomie, from Washington followed by how they’re going to live for the foreseeable future.
Life as a trade deadline acquisition can be taxing. Just ask Ivan Barbashev, Jonathan Quick and Teddy Blueger after they went through it last season.
Mantha still has a job to do, and he’s jumping in head first. The struggling Golden Knights will need him to, as Mantha will make his Vegas debut Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks (7 p.m., Vegas 34).
“This is massive,” Mantha said. “If you told me last year this time of year that I’d end up here today, I would’ve said, ‘I don’t believe you.’”
The 6-foot-5 forward stood tall in his new surroundings less than 24 hours after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals for two draft picks. Mantha, in the final year of a four-year, $22.8 million contract (average annual value of $5.7 million, which Washington is retaining 50% of his salary in the deal), has 20 goals and 34 points this season.
The Golden Knights are hoping Mantha can bring that same big-bodied scoring presence for a group that badly needs a spark.
Vegas enters Thursday’s showdown with the first-place Canucks losers of eight of their last 10 games and are coming off a 1-3-1 road trip that included losses to Buffalo and Columbus by a combined score of 13-5.
Mantha is expected to skate at second-line right wing with center William Karlsson. Chandler Stephenson could play left wing, but coach Bruce Cassidy said no final decisions on the lineup have been made yet.
Emotion is something Mantha said he can bring to the Golden Knights, which might be the wake-up call they need with 20 games left. Vegas is currently fourth in the Pacific Division via points percentage and would be the first wild card in the West if the playoffs started today.
But with the Golden Knights likely losing Mark Stone for the rest of the season due to a lacerated spleen, the Golden Knights are not shy in looking for extra help at the forward department. Mantha’s 20 goals are the third most in his career; his most since 25 when he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2019.
“They need me to bring some offense, also,” Mantha said. “I think that’s one part of my game that I’m able to bring.”
Most of Mantha’s production has come at 5-on-5 play. Just three of his goals have come on the power play.
Cassidy said even strength is where he expects Mantha to make most of his contributions. Scoring is a bonus, but Mantha will help in other ways such as breaking out from the defensive zone and play along the walls; two areas the Golden Knights have struggled in during this slide.
“He’s a good add for us,” Cassidy said. “We need secondary scoring. He does a lot of it 5-on-5. We’re a predominantly 5-on-5 team. We’re missing Stoney who brought a lot of that.”
Mantha said one reason why he’s found so much success is because he’s shooting with more confidence. He’s only put 90 shots on goal, but his 22.2% shooting percentage is the best of his career.
“Last couple of years I tend to stay away from it,” he said. “I feel this year, I’ve just been letting it go.”
It’s unclear if Las Vegas will be the newest home for the Mantha family. A new addition is on the way. Caitlyn is pregnant with their second child and is due in August.
The due date being months away helps with the transition to new scenery in the short term. That’s where Mantha’s focus is right now. He’s played only 11 playoff games in his NHL career. He’s expected to get more with the defending champions.
“It’s a chance I can prove I still got it and help this team win,” he said.
Martinez on IR, Dorofeyev practices
A lower-body injury has resulted in struggling veteran defenseman Alec Martinez being placed on injured reserve.
Martinez, the left defenseman on the top pairing with Alex Pietrangelo, is a minus-4 at 5-on-5 over the past month, being on the ice for 14 goals allowed and a team-high 58 high-danger chances allowed.
Ben Hutton skated with Pietrangelo and is expected to play in his first game since Dec. 28 on Thursday. Hutton missed nearly two months with an upper-body injury.
Wednesday also saw the first sighting of rookie forward Pavel Dorofeyev since late January. Dorofeyev has not played since Jan. 26 after taking an elbow to the head by New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba.
Dorofeyev has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 29 games.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on X at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
