Red Wings send Mantha to Capitals in deadline day blockbuster

Anthony Mantha is moving on from the Motor City.

The Detroit Red Wings are trading Mantha to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Richard Panik, Jakub Vrana, a first-round draft pick in 2021 and a second-round draft pick in 2022.

Trade of the day. Credit to @KevinWeekes. Sources say Detroit started to consider moving Mantha within the past few weeks and did an excellent job of keeping it under the radar. https://t.co/sWs6cjDUM2

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 12, 2021

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports the Red Wings started to consider moving Mantha within the past few weeks and did an excellent job of keeping it under the radar.

My guess is the Caps view this as two trades in one:
1) Panik plus a pick to relieve them of $2.75M in flap cap environment going forward with 2 more years on that contract;
2) Then Vrana plus a pick for Mantha.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) April 12, 2021

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun tweets he guesses the Caps could see the move as two deals in one. First, Panik plus a pick to relieve them of $2.75 million in flat cap environment going forward with two more years on that contract. Second, Vrana plus a pick for Mantha. 

The 26-year-old Mantha has been one of the more reliable point producers for the Wings over the past few seasons and has 11 goals and 10 assists in 42 games so far this season. He had back-to-back 48-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Mantha is signed for three more seasons after 2020-21 at a $5.7 million cap hit after re-upping with the Wings last November. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-24 season.

He was selected No. 20 overall in the 2013 NHL Draft and has spent six seasons as a member of the Red Wings.