Mantha's video call with GM Mehta helped persuade him to sign with Devils

Anthony Mantha didn't need a hard sell to understand what the New Jersey Devils could offer.

The speed was obvious. The talent was obvious. The chance to join a team thirsting to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs was obvious, too.

What resonated with the 31-year-old forward most during the free agency signing period was a 35-minute video conference call on a Saturday morning with New Jersey general manager Sunny Mehta. 

The first-year GM made the veteran feel wanted at a point when he was searching for more than just another stop.

"Him and I (talked) for about 35 minutes," Mantha said on Friday. "Just chatting, kind of showing me what he wants to build, showing me opportunities in the lineup, chatting about things happening around the League. Just a super easy conversation.

"To me that was the point where I was like, 'All right, he's really interested in bringing me in.' Not every GM does that. He's probably taking time on a Saturday morning to call, and it went a long way."

The conversation helped steer Mantha to New Jersey, where he signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract on Wednesday. The deal, which has an average annual value of $4.75 million, gives Mantha a measure of stability after consecutive one-year stops with the Calgary Flames (2024-25) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2025-26), and a chance to plant roots with his family.

"Sunny made it clear from our conversations that he loved the way I played," Mantha said. "He said (Devils players) were talking about your stats last year and he's like, 'I don't look at those. I didn't even know how many goals you had. I look at advanced stats and those numbers.' He's like, 'That's what was (most impressive) to me and that's why I want you on my team.'"

Mantha had NHL career highs of 33 goals, 31 assists and 64 points in 81 regular-season games with the Penguins last season and one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.

He entered free agency hoping for term after coming off his best statistical season and looking for something longer than a one-year contract. At first, the market didn't unfold the way he and his camp expected.

The Devils initially discussed a one-year deal. Mantha's side circled back to see if New Jersey would consider lowering the average annual value in exchange for a second year. For Mantha, that added year mattered.

"With three young kids, I kind of wanted to stay somewhere for more than one year," he said. "Getting that two-year deal was a big relief and I'm just excited to be here now that it's all done and set."

The relief was about more than contract security; it also represented another step in a career Mantha has had to rebuild physically and mentally.

He grinded through rehabilitation after tearing his right ACL on Nov. 5, 2024, an injury that limited him to 13 games in what became a lost season. At 30, he wondered what came next. It was not the first time injuries had worn on him.

Mantha has worked for years with Toronto-based mental coach Matt Caldaroni, a relationship that began after shoulder surgery during the 2021-22 season with the Washington Capitals. The procedure came in November, and Mantha returned in March. Around that time, he said he had lost his passion for hockey.

"After my shoulder injury that kept me out for like 4-5 months, (Caldaroni) had me fill this whole paper and he's like, 'Are you sure you still like to play hockey?' I'm like, 'You know what? I don't know.' I've been injured a lot. I don't know if the passion is there as much. 

"(Caldaroni) said, 'All right, we're going to get that back,' and that's how we started working together."

That work became central again after the knee injury. Mantha stayed in constant communication with Caldaroni throughout the rehab process.

"If you ask me if I love hockey today, my answer is easy ... it's yes," Mantha said. "So it worked the right way."

The results followed. Mantha exhibited durability last season after the ACL recovery and rediscovered the confidence that had once wavered through injuries and scratches.

"My thinking was to be the most talked-about player last year," he said. "If I wasn't up in the conversation, I was (darned) close to hitting my objective."

What's he thinking entering his first season with the Devils? 

"My new mindset on a two-year is to sign an extension," he said. "I'm coming in and I'm doing everything I can to make that happen."

Mantha sees an easy fit in New Jersey's fast, skilled group. He mentioned center Jack Hughes and forward Jesper Bratt as players he would "love to try" building chemistry with but said New Jersey's depth makes the opportunity appealing throughout the lineup.

"Every time we played the Devils, whether it was in Washington, Detroit or Pittsburgh, the No. 1 common theme was, 'It's the fastest team in the League,'" Mantha said.

After years of injuries, resets and one-year moves, Mantha arrives in the Garden State healthy, wanted and smiling again.

"When I play my best hockey, I'm having fun," Mantha said. "I'm smiling. I'm talking to the referees because I have that connection in my family in that my sister is a ref, so I love to entertain talking to the refs. It's kind of how my brain works and that that's where I go."