Montreal Canadiens Linked to Free-Agent Anthony Mantha

Anthony Mantha is set to hit the free-agent market on July 1, as the Pittsburgh Penguins won't be circling back with a contract offer before Wednesday. There's going to be a slew of teams interested in signing the 33-goal scorer from last season, including the Montreal Canadiens, who have serious ties to Mantha.

The Canadiens enter free agency with $10.9 million in cap space, and they also have goaltender Sam Montembeault, who is expected to get traded in the coming days, which could free up upwards of another $3 million.

The Score's Josh Wegman recently published an article on free-agent predictions, and links Mantha to sign in Montreal:

The Canadiens could stand to add some size to their forward group. While Mantha isn't as physical as you might expect for someone who's 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, his scoring touch and two-way presence could be a great fit on the second line with a cerebral playmaker like Ivan Demidov. Fresh off a career-high 33 goals with the Penguins last season, Mantha is also a Quebec native and a former client of agent-turned-Montreal GM Kent Hughes.

Mantha averaged just over 15 minutes of ice-time last season, playing on the Penguins' second line, and second power-play unit. It was a timely breakout season for the pending free-agent forward, as the last time he scored more than 20 goals was back in 2023-24 with the Washington Capitals, and his 33 were a career high.

The Canadiens need to some help front, and have been linked to Mantha, and free-agent center Boone Jenner. There's also been talks about a potential trade with the New York Islanders for Mat Barzal. Lots going on in Montreal, we'll see which way Hughes decides to go next week.