Washington Capitals
The one trade sitting out there that makes the most sense for both sides is one with the Washington Capitals. Both teams have a player they don’t really want anymore, and don’t really have a spot in the lineup for them.
The Canadiens would really be happy to see Armia go to another team that will give him a chance to play. The Capitals would like to move on from Anthony Mantha and would probably be happy just to see him go anywhere at all at this point.
Mantha was once considered a top, young goal scorer in the league, but things completely fell apart after he was traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Capitals. In 2019-20, Mantha scored 16 goals and 38 points in just 43 games. Last season, with the Capitals, he scored 11 goals and 27 points in 67 games.
He is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $5.7 million. The Capitals are off to a slow start and could use all the help they can find out there, so could be interested in adding some cap space to give them flexibility. A Mantha for Armia trade would free up $2.3 million for the Capitals and move on from a highly paid winger that they had on the fourth line and has sat as a healthy scratch.
At least Armia can play a defensive role for them and kill penalties, making him a much better fit as a fourth line winger.
Mantha may get a chance to put a few pucks in the net on the power play for Montreal, but the big reason to acquire him is he is in the final year of his contract, and this trade could save the Canadiens $3.4 million in cap space next season.
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