Red Wings acquire Vrana, Panik, 1st and 2nd Rounders from Caps for Mantha
Detroit owns 22 Draft picks between 2021 and 2022 NHL Entry Drafts; Panik has skated in more than 500 NHL games; Vrana has posted back-to-back 20-goal seasons by Kyle Kujawa @DetroitRedWings / DetroitRedWings.com
DETROIT The Detroit Red Wings today acquired right wing Richard Panik, left wing Jakub Vrana, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from the Washington Capitals in exchange for right wing Anthony Mantha.
Panik, 30, has skated in 36 games with Washington this season, notching nine points (3-6-9) and 16 penalty minutes. He played his 500th NHL game on March 20 vs. NY Rangers and has appeared in 505 NHL games since 2012-13 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs
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The Capitals traded winger Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for winger Anthony Mantha a blockbuster deal that signifies Washington's pursuit of another Stanley Cup. The team also acquired winger Michael Raffl from the Philadelphia Flyers for a fifth-round pick, adding forward depth.
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman made a major move to stoke the rebuild.
He traded Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals in return for a first-round pick in 2021, a second-round pick in 2022 and forwards Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik. That s a terrific haul for a player who consistently has disappointed the Wings.
Vrana, 25, is a former first-round pick. He has 11 goals and 14 assists in 39 games. He s a pending restricted free agent coming off a two-year, $6.7 million deal. Panik, 30, has three goals and six assists in 36 games. He s signed through 2022-23 with a $2.75 million cap hit.
It was a bold move by Yzerman, trading a 6-foot-5, 234-pound forward who he signed to a four-year, $22.8 million contract in the offseason. But Mantha, 26, performed this season as he has his entire NHL career: Inconsistently. Given his size and skill he should be noticed regularly, but there were games were his effort lacked.
Flat cap or not, the Washington Capitals refused to stand by and watch their division foes improve their rosters without making a move at the NHL trade deadline Monday.