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How Anthony Mantha can land in Detroit?
The Detroit Red Wings are well-known for not making promises to youngsters within their organization when it comes to outlining how long the journey will be for players on draft day until they
potentially reach the National Hockey League as a Red Wing.
It’s also been a very long time since they have had a prospect as highly touted and offensively gifted as
Anthony Mantha.
Selected 20th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Mantha apparently slipped in the draft due to scouting reports questioning his passion and work ethic, despite the fact he led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in goals during his draft year.
Yet at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Mantha provides the Red Wings with a dazzling mix of size and offensive ability that makes him potentially the best pure finisher within the entire organization.
Mantha was the only 50-goal scorer in the 2013 draft when the Red Wings selected him 20th overall and he was the QMJHL Most Valuable Player last season after leading the league in goals (57) and points (120).
All he did to dispel the concerns of the scouting community was capture the QMJHL’s MVP award with the Val-d’Or Foreurs while scoring 81 goals in 81 games (regular season and playoffs) on the way to leading his team to a league championship.
Despite the gaudy offensive numbers and being the team’s top prospect, many believe Mantha will commence his first pro season in Grand Rapids of the AHL in order to gain more seasoning and adapt to the pro game. Head coach
Mike Babcock will want to ensure Mantha is committed defensively while being able to handle the pace of the NHL game. You have to go back to the likes of
Keith Primeau,
Mathieu Dandenault and
Jiri Fischer for the last time a Red Wing prospect played for the Wings one year removed from his draft year.
However, we no longer reside in the 90's. The NHL has a salary cap and the depth the Red Wings were able to easily accrue by often outspending other teams during the summer at free agency or come the trade deadline no longer happens to be the case. Because of the cap, more and more teams are utilizing younger players in their lineups, in particular with forwards that are offensively gifted.
Without question, Mantha will likely either have to be spectacular in camp or the Red Wings will have to run into injury problems early on if he hopes to make the opening night roster. Given what transpired last season with the plethora of injuries, especially up front, it could come to fruition once again.
Nevertheless, despite the Red Wings patient ways of the past, GM
Ken Holland has publicly stated he feels Mantha will be given every opportunity in training camp to show his stuff:
“We’re going to give him every opportunity to make our team in training camp. He’s big, he can score, he’s got tremendous hands and hockey sense. The question is, can he score at next level? We’re going to give him an opportunity to play with our top six in training camp … If he can help us, we want him on our team. I don’t want him on the team as a 13th, 14th forward or on the fourth line playing eight minutes a night, penalty kill.
I know Mike Babcock wants to give Mantha some opportunities with Datsyuk, Zetterberg, with our best players. We have eight exhibition games. I know we want him to play 5-6. After we've watched him play for three weeks and we get to the end of September or early October, he's got to take somebody's job. If he can play in our top six with Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen and Nyquist, and contribute, he can play on our team. If not, we can put him in Grand Rapids, do the thing we’ve done through the years — let him learn to be a pro down there.”
The fact of the matter is making the Red Wings roster in 2014-15 will not be easy for Mantha. However, one way it might become much more feasible would be the absence of one of Detroit’s top nine forwards from last season…
Daniel Alfredsson.
Although many believe it’s a certainty Alfredsson will return for a second season in Detroit, the bottom line remains he has not signed on as of yet. The verdict appears to be that he and the club want to ensure his back is 100% before committing to another season at the age of 41.
If Alfredsson does return, it appears very difficult for Mantha to stick with Detroit early on in the season. However, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that Alfredsson comes to a surprising decision over the course of the next month and elects to retire. If so, perhaps a door of opportunity opens for Mantha to play in Detroit on opening night vs. the Bruins.
It should also be mentioned that Mantha also comes to the Red Wings on a cap-friendly entry-level contract of $925,000 per season (with no performance bonuses). The question then becomes, "Where do you play him?"
It goes without saying that Babcock is known for shuffling the deck early and often with his forward group and this season will likely be no different. Here are the two most likely scenarios:
Option #1:
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Mantha
Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist
Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco
Abdelkader-Helm-Miller
Glendening
Andersson (Cleary)
The initial thinking with putting Mantha alongside the “Eurotwins” is the potential for plenty of offense. However, placing two veteran forwards like #13 and #40 that are known for playing a 200-foot game would help ease the burden for Mantha inside his own end. The downside to placing Mantha immediately in such a role is the added scrutiny of facing the opposition’s top line and/or defensive pairing on a regular basis.
Option #2:
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Nyquist (Tatar)
Franzen-Weiss-Tatar (Nyquist)
Mantha-Sheahan-Jurco
Abdelkader-Helm-Miller
Glendening
Andersson (Cleary)
The success last season of the Grand Rapids trio of Tatar-Sheahan-Jurco stemmed mostly from the fact they dominated the opposition’s bottom six forwards who they faced regularly at even strength. If Alfredsson does not return, it opens up a spot within the team’s Top 9 for Mantha to ease his transition into the league by sheltering his even strength minutes but still not limiting him from making a contribution.
With either option, and with OR without Alfredsson, the Red Wings appear to have a deep quartet of forward lines to rely on if the club remains healthy.
Ultimately for Red Wing fans, although nobody is outwardly hoping for an Alfredsson retirement announcement, it may provide Red Wing fans with the
best opportunity to see their best offensive prospect in over a decade join the Winged Wheel from the outset of the 2014-15 NHL season.
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