Joe's Reaction of the Week (Chip's Version): The Search for the Next Anthony Mantha

When scanning through the lists of available unrestricted free agents looking for younger, talented forwards who will fit this roster without their contract eventually becoming an albatross, I'm reminded of this scene from Spaceballs:

Like I mentioned in last week's column, there are some names out there like Evgeni Malkin or Alex Ovechkin. But if they leave their current teams it will be for retirement or to play a year or two back in the KHL. Of the guys who could change teams, Alex Tuch is the best player on the market and he knows it. There are reports that his contract terms are going to start in the range of $10 million per year, and you can bet that his free agent rights will be traded prior to the start of the league year so that he can ink a max term eight year contract.

You can argue that Tuch is exactly the type of offensive talent the Rangers need. A true top line right winger, he's a very good skater, a player who would fit into the style of play that the New York Rangers under Mike Sullivan want to play. And he brings tremendous scoring, having recorded 30 goals or more in three of his last four seasons.

You can also argue that his signing would represent "more of the same," as he will turn 30 in a month, has a checkered history of staying healthy, and locking him up for eight years would mean buying more of his declining years than of his prime years. There is validity to both arguments and I'm sure I will write more about those arguments in the days and weeks to come.

Today though, we're going to put Alex Tuch aside and instead we're going to focus on finding the next Anthony Mantha.

(Fun side note: Anthony Mantha is in no way related to former New York Rangers fourth round pick, Ryan Mantha despite the fact that they share a fairly unique last name and have similar builds. Well, maybe it's not fun, but it's interesting...to me. Screw you, I'm allowed to be easily entertained by trivia. Onward...)

Drafted 20th overall by the Detroit Red Wings back in 2013, Mantha has had an interesting career. The surface stats (goals, assists) leave you wanting more—much more. And when you dig deeper, you wonder why the hell over the course of an 11 year career he hasn't seen better results. He's a very good possession player, he has good speed, and while he was never known as a guy who could create his own opportunities, his heavy shot ranks among the best in the NHL.

Think of him like the NBA's Kyle Korver (yes, I'm that old). Korver couldn't dribble, couldn't defend, and couldn't pass. But if you got the ball to him he would hit a basket better than almost anyone. Mantha, based on his shot alone, should have been able to do that, but it just never really clicked. Prior to this year he had scored 20 or more goals only four times in ten seasons, never surpassing 25. Adding to the disappointment that dogged Mantha's career was the fact that for a man of his considerable size (6-5, 240 pounds) he has never been a real physically imposing presence. What's worse—and this likely plays into the inconsistencies in his game—Mantha has had a heck of a time staying healthy throughout his career. This year he suited up in 81 games. That's only the second time in his career that he's been able to appear in 80 or more games, and only the third time he's played more than 70 games.

Prior to last summer, he was coming off of a season that saw him play only 13 games for the Calgary Flames and record an anemic seven points. Entering his age 31 season he had to settle for an incentive-laden one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins that paid him a base salary of $2 million and then bonuses for every ten games that he was available to play. My word, that deal has paid off.

For the Penguins, Mantha has become the player that everyone with the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, and Calgary Flames wanted him to be. He has set a career high in goals with 33 and obliterated his previous career high of 48 points by recording 64. His resurgence has helped lift the Penguins from seventh place in the Metropolitan Division a year ago to second this season. For his part, I'm sure that Anthony Mantha is hoping to cash in on this success when the calendar turns to July, and I wish him a lot of luck in that regard.

For the Rangers though, they should not entertain the notion of signing Anthony Mantha. They should be on the hunt for a player who can become the Next Anthony Mantha.

Before we talk about the players who could fit that mold, let me list out a player I'm not considering: Eeli Tolvanen. It's not that I don't see value in him, I absolutely do. But in this thin free agent market, I think Tolvanen—based on his age and the fact that he's a year removed from a 20 goal season—could be one of the more highly coveted players on the market. I can absolutely see him being ridiculously overpaid for what he is (think, the Kiefer Sherwood contract of five years at $5.75 million per year).

So, who are some guys who could fit that mold?