This part of Anthony Mantha's game reminds Alan May of Ovechkin originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
It's always great to be compared to one of the greatest players of all time, no matter if it's just a small area of the game that's being likened to or not.
When that comparison is drawn to the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history, Alex Ovechkin, then you know the comparison is going to be some high praise. That's exactly what NBC Sports Washington analyst Alan May did on the Capitals Pregame Live show on Tuesday night ahead of the Caps' game against Philadelphia.
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"The big thing with Anthony Mantha, and Brent (Johnson) talked about it, as a left winger, I've seen him score from the right side," May said. "So he can score from either side, and he has an Ovechkin-like shot on the power play. I'm not sure how often he's going to be able to use that with this group of players, but he's got a cannon from the left side."
At 6-foot-5, 234 pounds, Mantha has an imposing frame that really helps him get a ton of velocity on that slap shot from the wing that the Great 8 has been accustomed to cashing in during his accomplished career. Goaltenders may quiver when they see Mantha's huge arms wind back with time and room.
Still, in six seasons with Detroit, Mantha scored just 14 goals on the power play. Ovechkin scored 90 power play goals in that same period. They're not in the same class, but not many hockey players are, or will ever be, in that respect. Regardless, Mantha's ability to get a powerful puck on net is certainly Ovi-like.
As May mentions, however, the Caps sport the NHL's fourth-best power play unit and adding Mantha into that mix isn't a sure thing. His ability to find the back of the net from either side of the net, though, makes him invaluable to Peter Laviolette's offense.
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The Capitals paid a steep price to acquire Mantha, trading Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, as well as a first- and second-round draft pick. Mantha's team-friendly salary that has a $5.7 million annual cap hit was the big reason why. Another reason why general manager Brian MacLellan ultimately pulled the trigger is to better equip his team for a deeper postseason run than they had in 2020.
"(Mantha is) a big shooter. He has really nice hands, so does Jakub Vrana. They're different skaters, but one guy is bigger," May said. "If you play the New York Islanders, I think the Capitals played a perimeter game last summer. Jakub didn't have any points, a lot of players didn't have any points in the summer. But Mantha's a bigger guy who can play against those Islanders defense if it comes to that situation.
"Tampa Bay is a bigger, tougher team than they've been. Toronto, if they win their division, is a bigger, tougher team than they've been. So thinking ahead as far as those players, but Mantha, I've seen him drop the gloves, I've seen him do these things."
Mantha's impressive size adds a needed layer of physicality that'll certainly be welcome during the Stanley Cup playoffs. But for a skater who hasn't performed with the consistency expected of him as a first-round draft pick in 2013, this new start gives Mantha an opportunity to make comparisons to Ovechkin's lethal power play shot less of a stretch.
