RED WINGS GETTING CALLS ABOUT MANTHA

TORONTO, ON — The Detroit Red Wings have several pieces they are willing to move leading up to the April 12 trade deadline, including nine pending unrestricted free agents.

Goaltender Jonathan Bernier, defencemen Marc Staal, Patrik Nemeth and Jon Merrill, and forwards Darren Helm, Luke Glendening, Bobby Ryan, Valtteri Filppula and Sam Gagner are all playing on expiring contracts and the Wings are willing to move each of them in the coming weeks.

Staal, as we reported last week, is interested in moving to a Stanley Cup contender, much like his brother Eric in Buffalo, and would be willing to waive his no-movement clause to just about any playoff-bound team.

Like brother Eric, Marc Staal does not appear interested in being dealt to a Canadian team due to their current 14-day quarantine rule, but the Wings will have options and I’m led to believe they are more than willing to retain a chunk of his remaining salary.

Glendening, Ryan and Merrill will generate the most amount of interest among the pending UFAs due to their low salary cap hits, and they fill a need for multiple teams looking to deepen their lineups.

But the free-agents-to-be aren’t the only players attracting interest in Detroit.

According to multiple sources, the Red Wings are entertaining calls on winger Anthony Mantha, who is in the first year of a four-year, $22.8 million contract.

Mantha, 26, piqued the interest of teams in the off-season and it seems that interest has carried over into this season, and the Wings aren’t hanging up the phone.

It’s unclear what type of return Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman would want for Mantha, or the type of trade he’d consider pulling the trigger on. Realistically, moving a player of his caliber is more likely to occur in the summer versus the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, but the right offer could compel Yzerman into making a move.

Mantha is a hulking 6-foot-5, 234-pound power forward who is starting to get into an offensive groove having picked up three goals in his last five games and multiple teams believe in his offensive capabilities – he was on pace for a 72-point season last year (over an 82-game schedule). Detroit certainly values him highly, and any move made would certainly fall into the blockbuster category.

The Los Angeles Kings are interested in adding proven talent, having been in the mix for Pierre-Luc Dubois before Columbus traded him to Winnipeg, but their package would revolve around future assets, albeit top prospects. Teams like the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers may be more willing to swap out young, NHL-proven assets in a deal for Mantha.