Anthony Mantha signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 2.
The 30-year-old forward had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 13 games for the Calgary Flames last season before having season-ending surgery on his ACL in November.
"The honest answer is it feels great, but it's been a long time," Mantha said Monday. "I should be ready for camp. That was my main goal when I did get surgery. I mean, it's going to be almost 10 months post-op at the start of camp, so I should be all set and running. I'll be ready. That's the ultimate goal and that's exactly what I told Pitt when we were talking to each other over the summer, July 1. That's my plan."
Selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 20 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Mantha has 303 points (146 goals, 157 assists) in 507 regular-season games for the Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights and Flames, and six assists in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
A three-time 20-goal scorer, Mantha's best offensive seasons were in 2017-18 (48 points; 24 goals, 24 assists) and 2018-19 (48 points; 25 goals, 23 assists), each with Detroit.
"Last summer, when I was a free agent, (the Penguins) were scooping around," Mantha said. "They offered something last summer. Unfortunately, it didn't quite go that way last summer. Then, for me, obviously playing 13 games last year was kind of, which team would give me a change? Luckily enough, [Pittsburgh] came through and gave me a great opportunity and great deal from the start of free agency.
"It was hard to look past them this year. I'm just excited to join the Penguins. I focused a lot on myself and trying to prove that I'll be ready for camp. Things went good and here we are."
NHL.com independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report
