Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery announced Monday morning that forward Anthony Mantha will not be wearing his uniform for the evening game against the Calgary Flames.
This decision was made even though the Caps had only played one game this season. On Friday they lost their opening game 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. During that game, the Longueuil native played only 11:52 and didn’t put a single shot on net.
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“The biggest problem is on the offensive side. It’s no secret that he’s an offensive player. He’s not a penalty taker, he’s not a defensive specialist. “He is an offensive player who has to create chances and score goals,” emphasized the head coach at a press conference following the team’s morning training.
Last season, Mantha scored 11 goals and 27 points in 67 games.
Not the first time
However, it is not uncommon for Anthony Mantha to be overlooked by his coach. He had to watch games from the stands several times in 2022–2023 when coach Peter Laviolette, then a Capitals pilot, decided not to include him in his lineup.
For the first time since the beginning of his tenure, Carbery prefers to trust young wingers such as Matthew Phillips (25) and Aliaksei Protas (22) rather than his 29-year-old veteran.
“We are working with Anthony to get his confidence back. He needs to do a lot of reps to get back to the level where he can play,” the former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach added.
The forward was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings at the 2021 trade deadline from the Washington Capitals in exchange for forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik as well as first and second round picks.
The Quebec native is entering the final season of a four-year contract he signed with the Red Wings in 2020, worth $5.7 million per season. He could become an unrestricted free agent next summer.