The Detroit Red Wings have traded forward Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a first-round pick, a second-round pick and forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik.
The first-round pick is for 2021 and the second-round pick is for 2022.
This can be considered the biggest move of Monday’s NHL trade deadline as Detroit GM Steve Yzerman gets full price for Mantha, and perhaps more.
NEWS | The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Anthony Mantha from the Detroit Red Wings for forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik, a 2021 first round pick and a 2022 second round pick.
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 12, 2021
Mantha, 26, just signed a four-year contract with the Red Wings in November. The contract carries an average annual value (AAV) of $5.7 million.
Mantha was a 20th overall draft pick in 2013 after putting up 89 points in 67 games with Val d’Or Foreurs in the QMJHL. The expectation was that Mantha, standing 6 feet 5 inches, would be an offensive force on the wing at the NHL level. He began to hit his stride in 2017-18 with 24 goals for the Red Wings -- he followed that up with 25 goals in 2018-19.
This season, Mantha got off to a slow start but now has 11 goals and 10 assists through 42 games played with the basement dwelling Red Wings.
Here’s what Detroit GM Steve Yzerman did over the weekend:
Panik, Vrana to join Red Wings
Moving Vrana and Panik allows Washington to free up the cap space they needed to bring on Mantha.
Vrana, 25, was drafted by the Capitals 13th overall in 2014. He has enjoyed a surge of points over the past three seasons from the left wing and has 25 points in 39 games this season. His salary carries a $3.35 million cap hit until the end of this season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
The Detroit #RedWings today acquired RW Richard Panik, LW Jakub Vrana, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from the Washington Capitals in exchange for RW Anthony Mantha. pic.twitter.com/Tp8M0uXiJe
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 12, 2021
Panik, 30, joined the Capitals last year when he signed a four-year contract with them. He costs $2.75 million against the cap. He brings a lot of experience to the Red Wings forward group with 505 career NHL games on his resume (190 points).
The NHL trade deadline was 3 p.m. Monday.
Red Wings draft positions
Here are the updated draft positions for the next two seasons with the additions from the trade deadline moves.
2021 draft positions:
Here’s the updated list of Red Wings 2021 and 2022 draft positions:
- 1st-round pick
- 1st-round pick -- acquired in Mantha trade with Capitals
- 2nd-round pick -- acquired from the Rangers in the Marc Staal deal
- 2nd-round pick -- acquired from the Oilers in the Andreas Athanasiou/Sam Gagner deal
- 2nd-round pick (yes, that’s three in the 2nd round)
- 3rd-round pick -- acquired from Vegas in the Tomas Tatar trade
- 3rd-round pick
- 4th-round pick
- 4th-round pick -- acquired in the three-way Savard deal
- 5th-round pick
- 5th-round pick -- acquired in Merrill trade with Canadiens
- 6th-round pick
2022 draft positions
- 1st-round pick
- 2nd-round pick
- 2nd-round pick -- acquired in Mantha trade with Capitals
- 3rd-round pick
- 4th-round pick -- from Avalanche for Nemeth
- 4th-round pick -- acquired from Vegas for 2020 5th-round pick
- 4th-round pick (yes, that’s three in the 4th round)
- 5th-round pick
- 6th-round pick
- 7th-round pick
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