Penguins 25-26 Leading Goal-scorer Expected to Test Free Agency After Career Year
In 2025, 31-year-old forward Anthony Mantha found his fifth home in his 11-year NHL career. The Pittsburgh Penguins signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract after he became a free agent following a season in which he played just 13 games for the Calgary Flames. The right winger stands six-foot-five and weighs 240 pounds, creating a truly imposing force on the ice, as his forecheck was one of the better ones on the Penguins last season. Mantha had the best season of his career, as he posted career numbers in every category. Games played with 81, goals with 33, assists with 31, and points with 64. His 33 goals were good for first on the Penguins, as he led a second line with alternate captain Evgeni Malkin and Justin Brazeau. As of Wednesday, May 20th, 2026, reports have surfaced that the Penguins' leading goal scorer is looking to test free agency.
The power-forward sniper had suffered a torn ACL playing for Calgary in 2024, making his one-year deal with Pittsburgh purely a “prove it” year. ‘Super Mantha’ did exactly that, as he brought a struggling and declining Penguins team back to the playoffs for the first time in three years. After entering the league in 2013 as a first-round pick, the intimidating forward had high expectations to live up to and was able to deliver on that in Pittsburgh. While the Penguins have been able to re-sign two key members of their 25-26 roster in Connor Dewar and Ilya Solovyov, Penguins head coach Kyle Dubas spoke with the media about Mantha’s future in Pittsburgh. He said, “I talked directly to Anthony in his exit interview. He was pretty clear with me what his intentions are, and I think that’s private and personal for him. It’s not on me to say that here publicly, but we’ll see how all the other things materialize, and then we can always circle back.”
Pittsburgh's big-bodied offensive winger will turn 32 prior to the start of the 26-27 season and is expected to sign his last long-term deal. The current estimate is that the former Red Wing rookie will receive a four-year, $25.5 million deal, worth $6.4 million per year. Even with the explosion he had on offense, the Penguins likely can’t afford to keep Mantha, as well as the six-foot-five forward, who wants more. The leading goalscorer also struggled in the Penguins' playoff matchup, as he has done before in his career. In the six-game series, ‘Super Mantha’ had just one assist, and did not have any career playoff goals in 20 career games with three teams. The glaring issue in Pittsburgh’s offseason is Malkin's status as an unrestricted free agent. President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas has already stated that he would like to keep ‘Geno’ in the yellow and black; however, this practically opens the door for Mantha to leave. He will enter free agency as one of the most sought-after goal scorers, with a potential return to Detroit, where he spent the first six years of his career, a likely choice.
