Anthony Mantha has Mike Babcock tied to Edmonton's clearest offseason hole.
David Pagnotta linking the Oilers to Mantha matters because it says Edmonton is still shopping for a real winger answer, not just adding around the edges.
That is the bad news for the Oilers. Their biggest problem has not gone away. They still need another forward who can play meaningful top-six minutes beside elite centers and not slow the whole line down. That is an inference from the continued search and Mantha being one of the remaining UFAs.
Mantha is an interesting name because the production is real. He scored 33 goals and added 31 assists for 64 points in 81 games with Pittsburgh in 2025-26.
He also brings the kind of profile Edmonton keeps circling. He is 6-foot-5, shoots right, and can finish if he gets touches in the offensive zone.
That is why the fit gets attention. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl do not need another passenger. They need a winger who can cash chances and make the top six look deeper than it did late last year. That is an inference from Edmonton's roster build and Mantha's scoring line.
" David Pagnotta links the Edmonton Oilers to F Anthony Mantha.
“Would you take a shot on a two year deal, I think some teams would, I think the Oilers might be intrigued by that possibility.”
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Edmonton still has not solved the same old wing issue
The Oilers can talk about their summer work, but this rumor says the front office still sees unfinished business. A team does not keep checking on veteran scorers unless it knows one more roster spot still feels shaky. That is an inference from the reported interest itself.
Mantha's contract ask is where this gets messy. He is still unsigned, and NHL.com listed him among the top remaining free agents on July 7. Pagnotta's read that Edmonton could look at 2 years suggests this would not be a throwaway bargain swing.
That matters because Edmonton already chose Babcock to push a win-now group over the top. The Oilers hired him on June 23 after another missed Cup run, which means this roster is being judged on whether it closes, not whether it grows nicely.
And that is why this Mantha link feels revealing. If Edmonton had already found its answer on the wing, it would not still be tied to one of the biggest unsigned scorers left on the board. That is an inference from the timing and Mantha's market status.
Mantha could still help. A 33-goal winger is not an empty bet, and his last contract with Pittsburgh carried a $2,500,000 cap hit.
But even if he signs, the bigger point stays the same. Edmonton's offseason keeps coming back to one issue: finding the winger good enough to ride with its stars without forcing the whole lineup to cheat around him. That is an inference from the Oilers' continued search and Mantha's fit.
That is why this rumor lands harder than it looks. Anthony Mantha is not the whole story. He is the latest sign that the Oilers' biggest offseason problem is still sitting there, waiting for Stan Bowman to solve it.
Do the Oilers still need one more real top-six winger before camp opens?
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