Pros And Cons Of Montreal Canadiens Potentially Signing Anthony Mantha
Could unrestricted free agent winger Anthony Mantha be a good fit in the top six forward group for the Montreal Canadiens?
There has been recent speculation that the Canadiens have been in contract talks with Mantha, but as of late Monday afternoon, nothing has been confirmed.
It’s no secret that the Canadiens have an interest in adding a top-six forward during the off-season, but they have made it clear that they aren’t willing to overpay to acquire that player. Although they would rather add a top-six centre, the prices to acquire one via trade are too high as of right now, and there aren’t any options on the UFA market. Therefore, they may have to switch their focus to a top six winger instead. In terms of UFA forwards that are still available, there is arguably no better fit for that role than Longueuil, Quebec native Anthony Mantha.
Mantha is coming off a career-high 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past season. If the Canadiens were to sign the 31-year-old, he could become another sniper to add to a top-six forward group that already includes 51-goal scorer Cole Caufield. A short-term one- or two-year deal could become high reward with low risk. However, if the Montreal Canadiens were to give Mantha anything more than two years, it could get very risky.
While Mantha finally found the back of the net with consistency this past season, he has been an inconsistent goal scorer throughout his career. A major part of that has been his ability to stay healthy. Last year, however, he played in a career-high 81 games, surpassing the 80 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2016-17. Before scoring 33 goals for the Penguins this past season, Mantha’s career-high was the 25 lamplighters he had for the Red Wings in 2018-19. Mantha has now hit the 20-goal plateau four times.
As a result, despite coming off his best season to date, many reports have claimed that no team has been willing to offer anything more than two years due to his history of inconsistency and injuries. Meanwhile, there is chatter that he and his agent are looking to get a mid-to-long-term deal, and that’s likely why, as of late Monday afternoon, Mantha was still available in free agency.
David Pagnotta says that the biggest issue for Anthony Mantha is term and some teams are hesitant to give him term based on his health.
— Marek Robinson (@BenchedWthMarek) July 10, 2026
Mantha would be a great fit for the Montreal Canadiens, who are lacking a top-six winger to play alongside Ivan Demidov, but only on a short-term basis, as stated before. While Mantha may not be the fastest player out there, he can still move fine for a 6-foot-5, 234-pound forward, and he brings an elite-level shot that would look good on the opposite wing of an elite passer like Demidov. The two wingers playing together have the potential of being a deadly duo, with Demidov feeding Mantha cross-ice on a nightly basis, where he would create great scoring opportunities.
Would you like to see the Montreal Canadiens sign Anthony Mantha this summer?
