It’s official: the Washington Capitals are sellers.
Late Tuesday night, the Capitals traded winger Anthony Mantha to the Vegas Golden Knights for a pair of future draft picks: a second-round choice in 2024 and a fourth-round selection in 2026.
Mantha, 29, is in the final year of his deal, and the Capitals will retain the maximum 50 percent of what’s remaining of his $5.7 million AAV this season.
The Caps acquired Mantha from Detroit at the 2021 trade deadline, which began a rocky tenure where he played 118 games in his first two-plus seasons, but ended with several healthy scratches under Peter Laviolette last season, leading him to see a mental health coach.
This year, Mantha had a resurgence under Spencer Carbery, notching 20 goals and 14 assists in 56 games – four goals shy of his total from the first two-plus seasons.
The Capitals could still make more moves prior to the trade deadline, which is 3 p.m. ET Friday. They have one game remaining before that, Thursday night in Pittsburgh.