The Vegas Golden Knights have added to their forward group ahead of the 2024 NHL trade deadline. On Tuesday, the Golden Knights announced that they acquired winger Anthony Mantha from the Capitals in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
In order to fit Mantha under the salary cap for the Golden Knights, the Capitals are also retaining 50% of his $5.7 million salary. Mantha is in the last season of his current contract, and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Mantha, a first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2013, has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. However, Mantha has had better injury luck this year and has been far more productive as a result. In 56 games, Mantha has tallied 20 goals and 14 assists, which is already his best season since 2019-20.
Mantha should help out a Vegas forward group that has been banged up recently. Mark Stone is currently on LTIR with a ruptured spleen, and William Carrier and Pavel Dorofeyev are also on IR. Mantha should provide some much-needed depth in the desert.
The Golden Knights have to hope this trade can give them a bit of a jump start because they have been slumping recently. Vegas has won just two of its last 10 games with a minus-11 goal differential in that time.
