It has been reported that the Edmonton Oilers are interested in signing unrestricted free agent forward, Anthony Mantha.
Now two weeks into the free agency signing period, there are multiple players left and looking at the market, barring Mantha's willingness to sign a very short term and low-risk, cap friendly contract, it makes little sense for the Oilers.
Although Stan Bowman needs to be bold and should not be afraid to take on risks, sometimes taking a risk is not advisable.
Anthony Mantha is not who the Oilers should pursue
Mantha, who will be 32 years old by opening night of the regular season, has a very intriguing profile. He boasts great size at 6'5 240 lbs and is coming off a career high season where he scored 33 goals and 31 assists for 64 points in 81 games.
As a rule of thumb, anytime you are debating signing a player who is over or around 30 years old who had a career year, you are taking a massive risk. Typically, players peak by their mid-20's and if a player is having a career year this late into their career, it signals a fluke and one that is due to unique circumstances.
Per David Pagnotta, the Oilers might be intrigued by the possibility of signing Anthony Mantha to a two-year deal this offseason.@TheFourthPeriod pic.twitter.com/vZW7oj1vUC
— Oilers Hub (@oilers_hub) July 11, 2026
In many cases, the players who have these highly productive seasons at this age and in a contract year, it carries a lot of risk and teams can look silly, especially with the red flags that Mantha presents.
Mantha has a lot of red flags
Aside from the aforementioned career year late in his career, Mantha has some legitimate flaws that could make him a mistake waiting to happen.
Mantha is severely injury prone, having just now taken part in the second season of his career with over 70 games played. The last being in 2017-18 with the Detroit Red Wings.
When healthy, Mantha has also never produced over 50 points in his career, something that is bound to give some general managers pause and rightfully so. There are no guarantees that he can replicate this season, even playing alongside stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
There are still a number of players available on the free agent market who the Oilers could pursue that may be worth it even more. Unless of course, Mantha is willing to take a vary short term deal at a low annual average value.
If he would be willing to take a similar contract to the one with the Pittsburgh Penguins which was a one-year deal worth just $2.5 million.
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