Mantha traded to Capitals by Red Wings for two draft picks, Vrana, Panik

Anthony Mantha was traded to the Washington Capitals by the Detroit Red Wings on Monday for two draft picks and forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik.

Detroit received a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

"I'm excited," Mantha said Tuesday. "Obviously was a surprise yesterday. I woke up from a pregame nap and all of a sudden I was traded. So it's been a busy day yesterday, traveled down here and ready to go today and it's going to be a fun journey."

The 26-year-old forward scored 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 42 games with Detroit this season. He skated at left wing on a line with center Nicklas Backstrom and right wing T.J. Oshie at the morning skate Tuesday and made his Capitals debut when they played the Philadelphia Flyers.

"We really liked Anthony for quite a while now," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Monday. "I like a lot of the attributes: the size (6-foot-5, 234 pounds), the skill, the shot, the scoring ability. He's a really good skater for his size. I think it's a player that we've liked and talked about a lot in our room, and we had a chance to acquire him, so we went out and got him."

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Washington also acquired forward Michael Raffl from the Flyers on Monday in a trade for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft. Raffl did not play Tuesday.

MacLellan said he envisioned Mantha playing on one of the Capitals' top three lines.

"I think he would benefit from a real good playmaking center like [Evgeny Kuznetsov] or [Nicklas Backstrom]," MacLellan said. "He also could play on the third line. Gets some power-play time, really good net-front presence, could be a goal-line guy. We are going to put him in offensive situations, and he is a smart player that can play with smart players."

Mantha played mostly right wing with the Red Wings but said he'd be OK anywhere.

"I am comfortable on both wings," Mantha said. "It's going to be awesome. I mean, they are two great players. I'm excited to see what I can bring to their duo and hopefully it clicks right away and we score a couple tonight."

Selected by Detroit in the first round (No. 20) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Mantha scored 194 points (95 goals, 99 assists) in 302 regular-season games. He scored an NHL career-high 48 points (24 goals, 24 assists) in 80 games in 2017-18 and equaled that total in 67 games (NHL career-high 25 goals, 23 assists) in 2018-19.

Mantha scored 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games before last season was ended by the coronavirus pandemic, but his production dropped this season, the first of a four-year, $22.7 million contract (average annual value of $5.7 million) he signed Nov. 3, 2020.

The Capitals hope that playing in a supporting role on team filled with veterans who won the Stanley Cup in 2018 will help him relax and rediscover his game. Washington (27-11-4) was tied with the New York Islanders for first in the eight-team MassMutual East Division. The top four teams will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I think Detroit's a young team," MacLellan said Monday. "They're building up their youth. He's the main guy, and there's probably a little pressure on him to produce. I think he comes here, he's just got to fit in. He's going to have a veteran group of players. I think he's going to learn from the veterans."

Vrana will get an opportunity to play a bigger role with the Red Wings after seeing his ice time dwindle recently and being a healthy scratch against the New Jersey Devils on April 2 and 4. The 24-year-old has scored 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in 39 games this season after setting NHL career highs with 25 goals, 27 assists and 52 points in 69 games last season.

Selected by Washington in the first round (No. 13) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Vrana has scored 157 points (76 goals, 81 assists) in 284 regular-season games and eight points (three goals, five assists) in 38 playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

"Anthony and Jakub are both good players, but it is fair to say they are both underperforming their historic statistics," Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said. "Jakub has been on a very good team in Washington with a lot of talent, so we're hoping he can play a bigger role here on our team and thrive in that situation."

Panik, who has scored nine points (three goals, six assists) in 36 games this season, will also get a chance to play more regularly with Detroit after the 30-year-old cleared waivers and was assigned to Washington's taxi squad April 8.

But the trade was mainly about picking up pieces for the future for the Red Wings, who appear headed toward missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season. Detroit (15-23-6) is last in the eight-team Discover Central Division, 11 points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators. They next play Thursday at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"We are obviously rebuilding our organization and our team, and I felt this was an opportunity to add draft picks, but we still have to put a team on the ice," Yzerman said. "Obviously, we're trying to add draft picks and prospects to expedite the process, but we want to keep our team as competitive as possible this year and next year."

The Capitals acquired Raffl because they wanted a forward who can play wing and center. The 32-year-old scored eight points (three goals, five assists) in 34 games with the Flyers and can be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

"We like our center-ice position, but we wanted a guy that could play there if we needed it in a depth situation or we had an injury or if somebody was out for a few games, and I think he fits the bill there," MacLellan said. "He can play up and down the lineup."

NHL.com independent correspondent Dave Hogg contributed to this report