Oilers GM Ken Holland interested in reunion with former first round pick from Detroit

With the deadline creeping ever so close, teams are forced to play the field and look at multiple options for each position of need just to ensure they get one player. The Oilers are trying to reach tons of teams to talk about players, and one that hasn't really been in speculation yet is the Washington Capitals.

The Caps are seemingly ready to head towards a rebuild, although very tentative due to Ovechkin's record chasing. One player they've made themselves vocal about shopping has been Anthony Mantha. Mantha came to them in a one for one swap from the Detroit Red Wings for Jakub Vrana when both players seemed like projects. Elliotte Friedman reveals on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Oilers seem to like what they see from Mantha.


It's understandable why Ken Holland is interested in Mantha as he has improved on his once-impressing finishing ability, scoring 18 goals in 52 games. This is also impressive because of his 13:51 average time on ice, which could be improved upon on the Oilers. The Capitals also rank 30th in the league for goals per game, making his 18 goal contribution even more impressive.



Not even to mention, as Elliotte points out, that Anthony Mantha was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings when Ken Holland was active as GM. Holland drafted Mantha 20th overall in 2013, so if Holland still has some faith in Mantha's abilities he could be a perfect fit. He can play wing in the middle 6 and despite the big price tag, he probably would be on the cheaper side of the options available. Mantha would be a great fit for the Oilers, and is one of the more plausible options as we approach the deadline.