While the NHL’s regular season is still a couple of weeks away, the pre-season is here, and fans get to watch all different types of players wear their favourite team’s jersey for the first time. For Calgary Flames fans, one player who will be donning the Flaming C for the first time is Anthony Mantha, who general manager Craig Conroy signed over the off-season.

Not only will Mantha be adjusting to a new city, new teammates, and a new system under head coach Ryan Huska, but there are also expectations for him to help the Flames win games this season. He’s only on a one year deal worth $3.5 million, but the coaching staff believes he, and his shot, can be a valuable asset to the team in all situations.

They believe in it so much that, according to Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg, Mantha has had conversations about hitting at least 300 shots this season.

There are so many different layers to this quote.

First, as Steinberg mentions in his tweet, this expectation proves what sort of chances Huska and his staff will give the forward. Whether it’s time on the power play or top-six minutes, setting up Mantha for success is key to his achieving that goal.

Second, it’s important to distinguish whether or not the staff wants Mantha to hit 300 shots on goal or 300 total shot attempts. On the one hand, his career-high in shot attempts is back in 2018-19 (198) with the Detroit Red Wings when he scored a career-high 25 goals and tied a career-high 48 points, but instead of hitting that mark in 80 games like he did the season prior, he matched it in just 67. However, as far as shot attempts go, he has hit the 300 mark twice in his career, both coming in those two seasons with 331 and 335, respectively.

Mantha has not hit the 300 shot attempt mark since those two seasons.

Last season, only nine players in the NHL hit over 300 shots, with the highest Flames player, Nazem Kadri, coming in at 16th overall with 277. However, 169 players hit 300 total shot attempts, making that a much more realistic goal if that’s what the coaching staff meant by 300 shots.

Last season, Mantha registered 113 shots on 219 attempts with both the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights, and the last player to hit 300 shots was 2007-08 Jarome Iginla in his 50-goal season. There were seven Flames to hit the 300 total shot attempt mark with the team last season: Kadri, MacKenzie Weegar, Noah Hanifin, Mikael Backlund, Yegor Sharangovich, Blake Coleman, and Rasmus Andersson. Elias Lindholm hit over 300 on the season but only had 230 shot attempts with the Flames.

So, whether or not the coaches in these meetings meant for the goal to be 300 shot attempts for Mantha or 300 shots on goal influences how high the bar is for one of the newcomers. But either way, it showcases how important they believe Mantha will be in the 2024-25 season.

Mantha will be trying to earn another contract that’s longer and worth more money than $3.5 million, and the Flames need to squeeze as many shots and goals as possible. It’s also worth mentioning that earning quality shots on your way to the 300 mark is more important than trying to get 300 to achieve the goal. A player like Mantha needs to create quality more than anything else, and opening up his game to feature both shots from the outside and the heart of the offensive zone will greatly increase the likelihood of hitting the bar.

Mantha should be an impactful addition to the Flames lineup this year. He will be a threat in multiple areas of the game, and the goal of 300 shots is a lofty one, but if approached the right way, it’s doable. And if he actually meant 300 total shot attempts, then it’s a more achievable goal that can help the Flames achieve success as well.