When Anthony Mantha woke up from a pregame nap Monday afternoon, the forward checked his phone. On the screen was a missed call he had slept through from Steve Yzerman. The Detroit Red Wings general manager also sent him a text: “Call me ASAP,” it read.
Mantha hadn’t expected a move ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline. He had just signed a four-year contract extension in November, which he thought would keep him in Detroit for the foreseeable future.
But Yzerman told him the news — that Mantha was headed to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Richard Panik, Jakub Vrana and two draft picks — and thanked him for his time as a Red Wing.