When the Oilers brought in Andreas Athanasiou at the deadline, the deal made a lot of sense. They were getting a player a year removed from a 30-goal season that is still under team control and while he is owed a $3MM qualifying offer, the anticipated jump in the salary cap would help offset that. His next deal might be a little pricey but it would be justifiable and they’d be able to afford it.
Things have changed since then. The 26-year-old struggled in limited action (two points in nine regular season games and zero in the Qualifying Round) and the COVID-19 pandemic means that the planned increase in the salary cap is out the window and it is going to be a few years before we see that jump again. All of a sudden, the $3MM qualifier isn’t as palatable.
To that end, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Edmonton is now trying to trade Athanasiou in advance of the tender deadline for qualifying offers which is at 4 PM CT on October 7th, mere hours after the draft ends. That’s an early signal that Oilers GM Ken Holland is unwilling to pay that price tag and that they may be preparing to non-tender him even though they parted with a pair of second-round picks just months ago to get him.
Edmonton does have some options here but they’re not particularly ideal. They could elect to take him to arbitration and in doing so, could come in with an offer of 85% of Athanasiou’s salary last season which would check in at $2.55MM. But doing that could potentially lock in an arbitration award if they didn’t settle before the hearing. With his 30-goal campaign from 2018-19, it’s possible that an arbitrator could come in higher than the $3MM qualifier. Anything under $4,538,958 means that Edmonton couldn’t walk away so taking him to arbitration could cost them. Of course, merely tendering the qualifying offer could eventually result in player-elected arbitration so it stands to reason that if they do have a change of heart and try to keep him, club-elected arbitration (with an October 4th deadline) would be the way to go.
They could always try to work out a contract with a lower price tag (there isn’t a rule against signing for less than a qualifying offer) but finding a price point that’s workable for both sides is limited. Athanasiou likely wouldn’t want a multi-year deal knowing he’s a year away from regular UFA eligibility anyway and if he thinks someone would give him the $3MM (either via the qualifying offer or as a non-tendered free agent), there isn’t much incentive to sign for less. Even if he was willing to take a small cut, could Edmonton afford that anyway given their cap situation (nearly $71MM in commitments to 16 players currently) or would he still be too expensive?
The other option is the one they’re exploring now which is the trade route. But how good are the offers going to be knowing that Edmonton is in a spot where they’ll likely have to non-tender him? Unless there’s a team that is ready and willing to pay at least $3MM for Athanasiou’s services next season, they’re not going to receive anything of consequence for his rights. Something small is still better than nothing but it would still sting considering what they gave up for him.
It’s basically a no-win situation for Edmonton here when it comes to Athanasiou’s future with the team which is why it appears that future is unlikely to last longer than the next two-and-a-half weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Devils
Haha Holland about to turn 2 second rounders into maybe a 4th. He’s terrible.
Holland is a horrible GM but Chiarelli set the Oilers back for years with ridiculous trades and contract signings. Oilers upper management are stupid and i feel sorry for McDavid and Draisaitl but they did decide to sign long term with Edmonton
Wonder if the stars might look at him
Fun fact, the Oilers gave up more to get him than the Golden Knights gave up to get Alec Martinez. Yes both are 2 2nd rounders, but the ones from Edmonton are more valuable.
I notice that at the trade deadline.He can score some.Alex is the better player.Alex is wearing rings as well
AA has a ton of speed and good hands. If he gets to UFA, if I were Rutherford I’d offer him $2 million to play LW with McCann and Hornqvist.
His speed would be enough to mask Hornqvist’s lack of it. His hands would be enough to mask McCann’s lack of them.
Their grit would be enough to mask his lack of it.
It could also work the other way where they slow him down and everyone brongs out the worst in each other.
Send him to Calgary. Talbot, Lucic and Reider all improved by moving there.
It was a good move to bring in speed and a guy who showed he can out the puck in the net. It didn’t go the way they thought it would….Period. Would Oilers fans rather the GM did nothing and kept the 2 second round picks. It was a gamble to improve their chances going into the playoffs. It didn’t work and they should just walk away from the 3M qualifying offer and find another piece to add. As a lifetime OIl fan I was fine with the trade. Not that my sentiments matter to the GM but at this time I’m standing on the side of the GM. Just don’t compound the fact he didn’t work out in EDM and resign him at that dollar. Walk away from the two 2nds and go something else. Add a Caleb Jones and AA or another prospect and bring in something small that you feel will improve the team.
Not sure I agree with moving Caleb Jones. Other than that I get it. As a life long oiler fan did you see the WHA oilers?