Penguins' Anthony Mantha dilemma could be a 'trap'
The playoffs were a disappointment, for sure.
Penguins' Anthony Mantha dilemma could be a 'trap' originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Pittsburgh Penguins had plenty of reasons they failed to get past the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs.
Anthony Mantha was certainly one of them. That has brought the Penguins to a point of dilemma: Mantha becomes a free agent this offseason. MORE: Sabres' storybook season is real, and Stanley Cup dreams are valid He's coming off the best season of his career statistically, putting up 33 goals and 31 assists (64 points) in 81 games.
"He has always graded out well as a play-driving forward, and analytics-minded GM Dubas clearly saw something he could unlock," Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin wrote as part of a new article on Friday. "The question now is: does Mantha seek to hit the market and cash in on the best season of his life, or will he embrace the best fit he’s found yet during a turbulent career that has bounced him to five different franchises? " That strong play didn't show up in the postseason, though.
Mantha played six games and had just a lone assist while being a minus-5 and picking up 20 penalty minutes. So which Mantha is the one to believe in? Did he prove to the Penguins he's flawed, or will his price just be a bit lower and thus a bit more valuable?