Kent Hughes is closing in on a towering forward for the Canadiens

Anthony Mantha's next deal is a tug of war between term and health, and the Canadiens are stuck in the middle.

Two separate reports surfaced this week, and they don't exactly line up.

One says term is the real snag. The other says money and length are both in play.

Insider David Pagnotta reported that term has been the issue with Mantha, adding there's still hesitation about how he can perform over the long haul, based on health.

Marc-Olivier Beaudoin followed with a different wrinkle, saying the Canadiens have shown real interest but only want a short-term commitment.

Mantha, according to that report, is searching for a medium or long-term contract. Beaudoin called the chances of him landing in Montreal slim, but not dead.

I've heard that the Canadiens has shown interest in Anthony Mantha.

However, there's talk of a (very) short-term deal, whereas Mantha is reportedly looking for a medium - to long-term contract.

The chances of Mantha signing with Montreal are therefore rather slim, but given that things can change quickly in hockey, it remains a (slight) possibility.

Stay tuned!

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Here's why teams are circling in the first place. Mantha put up 33 goals and 31 assists for 64 points in 81 games this season, a plus-10 rating with Pittsburgh.

Mantha's cap-friendly production made him a bargain in Pittsburgh

He did that on a cap hit of just 2,500,000 dollars, which is exactly why a bidding war makes sense on paper.

But paper doesn't account for wear and tear. Pittsburgh's season ended in the first round, eliminated by Philadelphia.

Mantha managed one assist across six playoff games in that series, going minus-5. That drop-off is the kind of detail fueling the hesitation Pagnotta described.

A soon to be 32-year old winger asking for term isn't unreasonable on its own. Whether he's worth that term is the question, and Montreal doesn't sound sold yet.

The Canadiens finished the regular season at 48-24-10 for 106 points, a club that can afford to be picky on term length for a middle-six winger.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, went 41-25-16 and watched their season end against the Flyers. Their forward group could look different depending on what happens with Mantha this summer.

Nothing here is settled. Term wins, or health wins, and either way Mantha's market looks a lot smaller than his point totals suggest.