What Will Capitals Do With Mantha? Latest On Forward's Future As Team Mulls Over Trade Deadline Approach

Patience could be the best play as the Capitals ponder whether or not to sell at the deadline.

The Washington Capitals have just over three weeks to go until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, and there's still a heavy question looming over the locker room: to sell or not to sell?

Washington has a number of chips that could be in play if the team does elect to repeat what it did last year and sell at the deadline while shifting the focus to the future, and one player that could be in play is Anthony Mantha.

Mantha, who will be an unrestricted free agent in July, has turned things around and rediscovered his scoring touch after suffering from inconsistency over the course of his tenure in D.C. He has 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points and is on pace to hit a new career high in goals.

His resurgence has also led to an increase in his overall value, leaving the Capitals with several options when it comes to the 29-year-old's future. And at the end of the day, patience is what will pay off.

Darren Dreger joined Caps Radio 24/7 to discuss Mantha and explained that playing the waiting game could be beneficial when it comes to No. 39.

"Obviously, Brian MacLellan’s going to ask for whatever he can get and, and that comes with being patient... there’s also a benefit in waiting, right? Let's see what the rest of the market presents. There's not a lot of quality forwards in play," Dreger said, adding, "You can see some compelling stories, you can see some names — those names are still pretty speculative. maybe it works in the Capitals’ benefit to have a shrinking market and then a team that doesn't get the forward they were hoping for steps up and pays a better price for Anthony Mantha.”

Sportsnet's Jeff Marek also mentioned that Mantha could be the rental that makes a pivotal difference for a Stanley Cup contender.

At the end of the day, waiting and seeing with Mantha is the right play. He has been a force while playing under head coach Spencer Carbery, and if the price isn't right, holding onto him and seeing if there's a future to be had in the District could be a play, too.

Washington is also expected to get several phone calls about Nic Dowd, who has one year left on his contract at $1.3 million, and pending unrestricted free agents Max Pacioretty, Joel Edmundson and Nicolas Aube-Kubel could also be shopped.