The former Capitals forward reflects on the deal and what's next with Vegas.

For Anthony Mantha, Tuesday was a bit stressful as he packed up and said goodbye to his expecting wife and daughter before taking off for Nevada. The Washington Capitals had traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights for draft picks, and though the flight was long and filled with questions, that stress turned to excitement as he touched down and set his eyes on the Strip.

Mantha wasn't necessarily surprised by the move, knowing that it may be coming given the Capitals' place in the standings and the fact that he's a pending unrestricted free agent. Still, there were logistics to work out, and the deal felt different than the blockbuster that brought him to D.C. back in 2021.

"(It's) pretty different, to be honest... there was a lot of rumors for the last month, month and a half," Mantha told reporters in Vegas matter-of-factly. "You kind of expect it at one point being a UFA over the summer. You just don’t know where, but here I am. I’m just excited to be here."

Following a couple of tough seasons in the District, Mantha is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. He's completely turned his play around, hitting the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2018-19 while adding 14 assists for 34 points in 56 games. He also has a plus/minus rating of plus-5.

For the 29-year-old, the key to his rebound season and influx in goal scoring has been the work he put in, as well as a new overall approach to his game.

"I’ve been shooting the puck. The last couple of years I’ve tended to kind of stay away from it, but I feel like this year, I just had to let it go and it’s been working it out," Mantha said, adding, "One hundred percent (I'm more confident). Big offseason, summer, I had to get focused I had to have plans, you know? That’s exactly what I did."

Mantha is hoping to bring the same consistency to Vegas, who needs another big, high-scoring forward to help fill the void up front with Mark Stone out for the remainder of the regular season.

"I think I can bring a lot of emotions to the game, a lot of skills, I’m doing a good job on the forecheck this year. I need to keep pushing that pace. Obviously, I need to score goals," Mantha said. "They came to get me to bring some offense also and that’s one part of my game that I’m able to do.”

"It's a great pickup for our team," Jack Eichel added. "He's a big guy, scores a lot of goals. He's a great player and we're happy and very lucky to have him. Excited for him to be part of our group."

Mantha is also aware of the stage he's on; the Golden Knights are the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and also went all-in by acquiring Noah Hanifin. All the while, the Quebec native is on pace to establish a new career high in goals and is staring down the free agent market in July.

At the end of the day, it's a big break for Mantha, and he's ready to try and live up to the high expectations.

"This is massive. If you told me last year at this time of year that I was gonna be here, today, I would have said, 'No, I don’t believe you,'" Mantha said. "But like I said, I worked hard over the season, over the offseason and it’s a great chance for me to prove that I still got it and try to help this team."