Anthony Mantha, who scored a career-high 33 goals last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be going to the New Jersey Devils next season, signing a two-year contract worth $9.5 million, the team announced Wednesday.He will make $5.4 million in 2026-27 and $4.1 million the following season ($4.75 million AAV). Mantha’s career year ended in disappointment when he had only one assist and zero goals in the Penguins’ six-game first-round loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.Devils general manager Sunny Mehta, who had already extended Nico Hischier and brought in Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist in his first summer on the job, now has another top-six option for his forward group. Mantha is effective in transition, making him an option to play with star center Jack Hughes. Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier are top-six stalwarts, and Dawson Mercer and Connor Brown could also be options on the top two lines.The Devils have approximately $2.77 million in cap space remaining, per PuckPedia. They’re trying to return to the playoffs under the newly hired Mehta, who has made substantial changes to the roster this summer. He traded Jacob Markström to Florida for a package that included Rodrigues and Boqvist and also moved 2022 No. 2 pick Šimon Nemec, sending him to Calgary for a package that included two first-round picks and a high second-round pick.