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The Pittsburgh Penguins picked up a bargain in free agency last summer, and Anthony Mantha is shooting up the list of NHL UFAs for this summer.

If you predicted career highs from Anthony Mantha this season, go to the head of the class and collect your gold star.

Believe it or not, Mantha's next goal will be his 26th of this season, which will be the most he's ever scored in an NHL campaign. And with a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over Utah on the weekend, he blew past his career high for points.

Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas probably didn't see this coming, but the analytics whiz certainly saw something in Mantha when he signed him to an incentive-laden $2.5 million, one-year deal last summer. Mantha will almost certainly hit all his bonuses this season, which will take him up to $4.5 million.

But he's still a bargain, the best of last summer's NHL UFAs. And Mantha gets to do it all again this summer as a UFA.

In a decidedly weak crop of talent, he'll likely rocket up the list of desirable targets.

Watch today's video column up above for more.

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