Red Wings plan to have Mantha stick around 'long term'

Anthony Mantha's NHL stay won't be fleeting.

The 21-year-old former first-round pick, who will make his Detroit Red Wings debut Tuesday in a critical clash with the Philadelphia Flyers, is expected to remain with the club for the stretch run, and beyond.

Blashill said the plan is to keep Mantha around long term

- Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) March 15, 2016

Mantha has had a strange start to his professional career. He arrived at the club with an incredible scoring pedigree in Major Junior, but suffered injuries and was criticized in-house for substandard performances in his two years with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

He will begin his NHL career on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar.

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