The trade deadline was relatively quiet for the Red Wings -- right until Steve Yzerman dropped a bomb.
Detroit has traded Anthony Mantha to the Capitals for a package of assets that includes a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick, the club announced shortly after Monday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
The Red Wings are also getting forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik. Vrana, 25, was a first-round pick in 2014 who has 25 points in 39 games this year. He'll be a restricted free agent this summer. Panik is a nine-year vet who can play a bottom-six role. He's signed through 2022-23 with an annual cap hit of $2.75 million.
The trade comes just a handful of months after the Wings signed Mantha to a four-year, $22.8 million deal and seemingly made him a centerpiece of their rebuild. But Mantha's game has slipped this season. He has just 21 points in 42 games -- the worst scoring pace of his career -- and he was a healthy scratch in February for his inconsistent effort.
Yzerman and the Wings now have seven picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft, including five in the first two. They also have seven picks in the first four rounds of next year's draft, including three in the first two.