The 2025 offseason was fairly mundane for the Pittsburgh Penguins, at least when it came to altering the playing roster.
Penguins management hit the bargain bin looking for gently used options on the free agent market.
Arguably, the biggest name they signed was forward Anthony Mantha.
And his name was largely renowned as being a former first-round pick who had never quite realized his considerably potential.
Coming off a frustrating 2024-25 season with the Calgary Flames, in which he was sidelined for all but 13 games due to a torn ACL in his right knee, Mantha was brought in on a low-risk, high-reward one-year contract with a base salary of $2.5 million.
The Penguins were taking a chance on Mantha. But not that big of a chance.
And it paid off well beyond what most expected as Mantha appeared in 81 games and led the team with a career-high 33 goals while also establishing his own personal high-water marks in assists (31) as well as points (64).
And by playing in 80 games, Mantha also earned an additional performance bonus of $2 million.
One of the few people who thought Mantha was capable of reaching the 30-goal barrier for the first time in his career was first-year head coach Dan Muse. He had a conversation with Mantha over the summer, laying that out as a personal goal.
“Obviously, he gave a lot of confidence to all his players,” Mantha said of Muse. “It’s kind of a testament of why guys actually played the way they did here. New guys came in and had lots of success. And the old guys just pretty much did great also, the same as they’ve always done. And some even had career years. It was awesome.”
In a lot of ways, Mantha’s surprising offensive production was representative of the Penguins’ surprising success that led to a 41-25-16 record and 98 points, as well as a return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
Much of that success was established through an 8-2-2 record to open the season. And even an eight-game losing streak (0-4-4) in December offered some benefit in Mantha’s estimate.
“The early success was a big part of our learning curve,” Mantha said. “Then obviously, we had that drought there of multiple games in a row (in December). We just kind of clicked at that moment and we knew we had something special to come out of it.
“I think it’s really those two waves of high emotions, low emotions that bring a group together. That’s probably what happened.”
Mantha’s buoyant season ended on a dour note, however, as he was limited to a single assist in the playoffs. As the Penguins fell to the rival Flyers, 4-2, in a best-of-seven first-round series, the team’s overall offensive futility was largely represented by Mantha’s struggles.
Mantha didn’t mince words when asked to evaluate his postseason performance on Friday in Cranberry during the team’s exit interviews.
“Obviously, not good,” Mantha said. “Not good at all. I’ve talked to a couple of people in the last couple of days just to figure out the whys. It’s something that I’m going to think of all summer and I’m going to have to figure out. I can’t say quick because it’s a year from now. But when the next time comes (for the playoffs), hopefully, I’ll have the answers.”
One other question Mantha doesn’t have the answer for just yet is where he’ll play next.
As a pending unrestricted free agent July 1, he can presumably command a hefty salary and some term on his next deal, even with his postseason woes.
Early in the season, Mantha told TribLive he would like to sign a “two-, three-year contract” this offseason for the benefit of his family.
Given that the Penguins are largely turning to youth, it’s fair to wonder if the Penguins would extend such an offer to a player who turns 32 in September, even if he is coming off a mostly satisfactory regular season.
For his part, Mantha likes what he found in Pittsburgh, even if just for one season.
“You just feel right at home,” Mantha said. “Obviously, I’ve changed locker rooms a lot throughout the last three years. If I could come back, I would obviously love to. That’s conversations to have in the near future, hopefully. And we’ll see how that goes.”