After the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, people shifted their focus to the offseason, which features the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, trade rumors, and free agency.
And it appears one of the Penguins’ pending-unrestricted free agents has made a decision on his future.
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According to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, forward Anthony Mantha is electing to test free agency. LeBrun said that the Penguins were willing to bring Mantha, 31, back on a one-year deal, but Mantha and his agent, Olivier Fortier, want to see if they can get something longer-term.
The towering 6-foot-5 winger is coming off a career year that directly followed up ACL surgery, as he recorded 33 goals and 64 points this season, both career-highs. He led the Penguins in goals during the regular season but came up empty in the six-game first-round series against the Flyers, totaling just one assist.
There was never really much doubt that Mantha would test the market, as the Penguins were probably always going to be reluctant to hand him term given their direction and efforts to build younger. Some sources have claimed Mantha is looking for a four-year deal, although that has not yet been confirmed.
Mantha isn’t the only free agent the Penguins must decide on. Other UFAs include defenseman Ryan Shea and forward Noel Acciari, while scoring winger Egor Chinakhov and goaltender Arturs Silovs headline the RFA class.
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