Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha was on his way to establishing himself as a solid goal scorer in the NHL this season before an untimely injury derailed what was one of the few bright spots for the team.
He had scored 12 goals and 11 assists in the first 25 games of the year before going down with an upper body injury that he recently returned from.
His two year, $6.6 million contact expires this summer, and he’s set to become a restricted free agent. But could the time that he’s missed this year make things a bit harder for GM Steve Yzerman and him to hammer out a new deal?
“It will be complicated, I think,” Mantha said. “My (job) is to play hockey. My agent and Stevie are going to talk. Maybe they’ve started. If not, over the summer and try to see what I could bring to the team in the future.”
The team views Mantha as a big part of the future along with forwards Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, as well as the up and coming talent with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Mantha himself also sees himself as part of the long term solution, and wants to stick around.
“Hopefully I can stay here for a long time,” Mantha said. “I want to change this team around. I want this team to be competitive. I think we have a good young group of players and we can make the transition, if it’s next year, two years. Hopefully it’s faster than in the long-term, but it feels good to try and be part of that core.”
The NHL tree agency period begins July 1.
– – Quotes via Ansar Khan of MLive Link
