​After the New Jersey Devils were unable to land forward Barrett Hayton via offer sheet, everyone knew general manager Sunny Mehta would pivot to another forward. On Tuesday, the team announced the signing of free-agent winger Anthony Mantha.The move brought quite the mixed reaction from analysts and fans alike.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMantha will be 32 years old when the 2026-27 season begins. He’s battled inconsistency and injuries throughout his career, his effort level has been questioned at times, and he’s never scored in 20 career playoff contests.On the other hand, he’s coming off the best offensive season of his NHL career, scoring 33 goals and 64 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins.That’s exactly why this signing is so fascinating. For better or worse, Mantha, along with the health of Jack Hughes, will be one of the biggest X-factors on New Jersey’s roster. There are legitimate reasons he remained unsigned through the frenzy of July 1st. But there are also legitimate reasons why this could wind up being the best value signing of the offseason — and restore the Devils to ‘contender status’ for the first time since 2022-23.If Mantha comes anywhere close to repeating last season, he quietly changes the entire complexion of their lineup.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMantha’s biggest strength last season directly addresses what was far and away the Devils’ biggest weakness. Per Natural Stat Trick, they scored ~48 goals below expected last season. Just average finishing would’ve flipped their minus-24 goal differential to a plus-24.That’s the difference between being the 23rd-ranked team and the 11th. And that’s excluding all injury problems, inconsistent goaltending, etc.Among 488 NHL skaters to appear in at least 60 games, Mantha’s 21.7% shooting percentage ranked fourth in the league. Aside from Cody Glass (30th, 18.3%) and Connor Brown (89th, 15.5%), no other current Devil ranked inside the top 150.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMantha also finished tied for 29th in the NHL with his 33 goals. The 21 players who finished between 30th and 50th in NHL goal scoring last season are scheduled to earn an average annual cap hit of approximately $7.32 million in 2026-27. Mantha, meanwhile, signed for just $4.5 million.His impact wasn’t limited to five-on-five, either. Mantha scored seven power-play goals, a total that would’ve ranked second on the Devils last season behind only Nico Hischier (11). Considering finishing was such a glaring issue across the lineup, adding another legitimate power-play scoring threat only strengthens an already dangerous unit.Finishing isn’t always just about talent, either. There’s a significant mental component to it. The Devils played in their fair share of tight games last season where every missed opportunity seemed to carry a little more weight than the last. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing a few more pucks find twine for that confidence to sprea