Is the ticket price to offload Anthony Mantha (paying a good chunk of his salary and adding a sweetener) steeper than just keeping him, hoping the new coach turns out to be an Anthony Whisperer and, at worst, a depth guy who covers for injuries and rest? I.e., are we stuck with Mantha? — Scott P.

I suspect the Caps are going to make an attempt to move Mantha this offseason. But, like Kuznetsov, I don’t see MacLellan making a deal just to dump his salary. (I also don’t see them buying him out, for what it’s worth.)

There’s been some buzz about the Caps possibly using a buyout to create some cap space. A source tells me, however, that there are no plans to buy out anyone this offseason.