Andreas Athanasiou’s time with the Chicago Blackhawks is over. Well, at least being the team’s nightly healthy scratch is done.
He has been waived after suiting up for just five games this season.
That does not mean his time with the Hawks organization is over
Luke Richardson said Andreas Athanasiou will go to Rockford if he clears waivers.
"If you get picked up, that's probably good for you… If not, we need him to go play some games and get his skill matched up with his confidence."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 11, 2024
It is likely Athanasiou will clear waivers given his cap number and his lack of production. He will then head to Rockford to play for the team’s AHL affiliate, the IceHogs.
No harm in putting Athanasiou on waivers, but I’ll be shocked if someone claims a man with a $4.25M cap hit who can’t crack this roster and has scored 2 goals since the start of last season https://t.co/YdCtX9cL3o
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 11, 2024
Also, Athanasiou making his way through waivers unclaimed will help the team develop prospects such as Colton Dach and Frank Nazar.
Andreas Athanasiou hits waivers. This is good for everyone.
Frank Nazar and Colton Dach amongst others would love to add a forward who is fast down in Rockford.
This is a win for the #Blackhawks. https://t.co/uYDaTdj2BG
— Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) November 11, 2024
It would be good for Nazar and Dach to skate with a skilled veteran such as Athanasiou. Lukas Reichel’s brief moments of looking good on the ice last season came when he was on it with Athanasiou. Remember, Reichel was terrible last year, but when he was with Athanasiou, he looked like one of the team’s most promising young players.
Injuries kept Athanasiou off the ice after his solid first year with the Blackhawks.
That is when Andreas scored 20 goals and passed out 20 assists in 81 games. Skating in that many games was a career-high, as injuries have kept him off the ice regularly throughout his 10-year career.
He was only able to play in 28 games last season. Even then, he was not nearly as productive as he was in 2022-23. He had just four assists before missing the bulk of last year’s campaign. Athanasiou finished with just nine points.
He has registered just six shots on goal in five games this season. His average ice time is at a career-low 9:36. This was a player some thought could start the season on the second line.
Instead, he is likely headed to Rockford since his AAV is just too high for a contender to take a chance on. Right now, the only value he provides to hockey is helping bring young prospects along in the AHL.
However, having him still in the organization can provide some nice depth in case there is a rash of injuries like what happened last season. Hopefully, that evil does not happen, but the Hawks’ forward depth got so depleted last season that they had to claim Zach Sanford off of waivers and trade for Rem Pitlick.
It will be nice knowing the Hawks could bring back Athanasiou, provided he stays healthy, rather than trade a late-round pick to get a journeyman pro if injuries ravage the team again.
If the front office elects to go younger, Nazar has been playing well enough to earn a callup. Dach was knocking on the door to make the NHL during training camp, and Landon Slaggert also showed he could hold his earn during his debut at the end of the season.
