The Latest On Andreas Athanasiou
It’s not a lot, but there were some mild updates on the Andreas Athanasiou situation in Detroit.
Detroit News beat writer Ted Kulfan reports that while there is little more to report about Athanasiou’s status with the Red Wings, time is running out for both sides to figure out how to get something done.
Kulfan writes today that though he has overtures to play in the KHL, Athanasiou’s reluctance to sign indicates a glimmer of hope that he re-ups with Detroit. Kulfan indicates that not only are they still apart in negotiations, but the Wings are tight to the Cap, even before even re-signing Athanasiou. From Kulfan’s standpoint, the Wings are setting the bar for the slew of young free agents expected to see raises next season, namely Dylan Larkin, and Anthony Mantha.
Winging it in Motown ‘s John Curran takes another look, indicating that the recent silence from both sides could be a good sign for the Red Wings when it comes to the speedster returning. Curran, like Kulfan, shows both sides of the argument–writing that Athanasiou could easily be a 20-goal scorer for a Red Wings squad starving for consistent scorers. Conversely, he could be another in a long line of Red Wings players inked to lucrative deals who fail to live up to their new pay.
The Athletic’s Craig Custance notes that there is an “undercurrent of belief” in some NHL circles that Athanasiou is seeking a trade out of Detroit. What the Red Wings could fetch remains to be seen, but unless it netted something significant, it wouldn’t go over well with a fanbase that appears ready to storm Holland’s office with pitchforks and torches.
Regardless, Holland hasn’t helped his standing with his decision making lately, and many wonder if this will be his final year in Hockeytown. The Athanasiou saga hasn’t helped matters, either. On one hand, he believes the playoffs are the end goal for a team who wasn’t close last season. On the other, the roster has seen little change while Holland is struggling to sign one of the team’s better goal scorers. It certainly doesn’t help the perception that Holland’s over-spending for players during the 2016 offseason (and before that) has cost the Wings now and into the future.
As the season nears, it remains to be seen whether either side budges, or if Athanasiou calls Detroit’s bluff and heads over to Russia.
Witkowski To Focus on Defense
After reaching terms to a new six year, $33MM contract yesterday, Vancover Canucks’ forward Bo Horvat is now labeled as a “foundational” piece of the team. But many question how good can the 22-year-old center get. After all, the young star had a solid season a year ago, putting up 20 goals and 32 assists. But how much farther can he take his game?
Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) interviewed his former coach Willie Dejardins about what the potential future of Horvat is, who says that one of Horvat’s top qualities is that being average just isn’t good enough. The veteran coach writes that when he was first drafted, the big knock on him was his lack of skating skills. However, he has been working on those skills for the last few years, including instruction from power-skating expert Kathy McIlvaine. The results were evident when he found himself competing with St. Louis’ speedster Vladimir Tarasenko in the fastest skating event in the All-Star game this past January.
“The speed of his game – when he first came in, he wasn’t a great skater,” Desjardins explained. “And somehow along the line he changed that, and that doesn’t happen very often at that level, or to that degree. That shows a high commitment level.”
Desjardins also points out in the article that Horvat’s greatest gift is his defense, although the metrics don’t show that yet. What he does say is that Horvat’s will to become a great player will push him up among the top centers of the Pacific Division where he will find himself playing against top talent like Connor McDavid and Ryan Kesler daily.
- Consider Pittsburgh prospect Teddy Blueger as a potential candidate for that third-line center spot. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette writes that Blueger has worked hard at his skating in the last few years in hopes of breaking into the Pittsburgh Penguins front lines. Although the Penguins could trade for a veteran at any time, Blueger, has the ability to break into that lineup. Having scored 108 points in for years at Minnesota State University – Mankato, putting him in the top 10 all-time in the school’s history, he will have quite a challenge to win a job with the Penguins this year. He will have to compete with veteran Carter Rowney, Jay McClement, Jean-Sebastien Dea and Greg McKegg for that spot.
- MLive’s Ansar Khan breaks down Luke Witkowski, who signed this offseason to a two-year deal worth $750K per year. The 27-year-old defenseman played sporadically for the past three years with the Tampa Bay Lightning and now, according to Khan, plan to move him to right wing. Khan writes that unless the team suffers numerous defensive injuries, that Witkowski will not play defense this year. Instead, he will compete with prospect Tyler Bertuzzi for the fourth-line wing spot opposite Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening and would be a perfect fit as the team’s 13th skater if Bertuzzi makes the team.
Offer Sheet For Athanasiou Unlikely
- Although contract talks don’t appear to be progressing well between the Red Wings and RFA winger Andreas Athanasiou, MLive’s Ansar Khan cautions that the team would likely match any offer sheet thrown his way. With the current offer sheet compensation, an offer as high as $3.925MM would only see Detroit pick up a second round pick if they declined to match and presumably, they could get that return in a trade without the threat of Athanasiou signing an RFA deal elsewhere. Khan suspects that no team would be willing to go that high on an offer sheet anyway since he has just 101 games of NHL experience under his belt.
Will the Blues and Red Wings Keep Their GM After This Season?
Pierre LeBrun, most recently of The Athletic, wrote yesterday about two potential veteran GMs in their final contract year: St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong and Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland. LeBrun implied that it is unusual for GMs to play out the final year of their deal without an extension if they plan to stay with the team.
The two GMs might have to dust off their resumes, but for two very different reasons. Armstrong has officially helmed the Blues since 2013, but unofficially ran things since 2010. And while Armstrong has led the Blues to six straight playoff appearances, the team has yet to make the Stanley Cup Finals. Pressure is mounting within the franchise as it is now 47 years since the Blues made the Finals. If Armstrong’s contract is not renewed, it will be because the organization feels Armstrong fails to make the final push.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ken Holland is on the hot seat after recent disappoints mar his winning history. Ascending to GM before the 1997-98 season, Holland has led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup victories and four Finals appearances overall. More importantly, up until last season the Red Wings never failed to qualify for the playoffs. All that changed when the team went 33-36-13 and finished last in its division. To be fair, Holland will not lose his job for one disappointing season, but rather for failing to continually restock the organization after its core stars aged. It is not an easy task to replenish an organization when a team routinely drafts near the bottom, but the Red Wings may want new blood to kickstart a rebuild.
Both these GMs have impeccable pedigree, and neither will be without work for long—if at all. But both teams may want to move in a different direction after failing to accomplish short-terms goals in the past few seasons. Maybe both GMs sign extensions, but the Blues and Red Wings would have reason to move on if they do not.
Early Notes: Parros, Jets, Red Wings
George Parros will the new voice at the top of the Department of Player Safety according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that current head Stephane Quintal will be staying with the league but taking on different projects. Quintal will help Parros transition into the leadership role, which comes with its fair share of stressors.
Parros was known for his fists during his playing days, and continues what has been a trend for the DoPS; hiring those who played their career right on the edge of the rules. The Princeton grad will be the decision maker on many suspensions and fines next season, something that comes with incredible scrutiny. Friedman also mentions that newly retired Shane Doan has been considered as a replacement for Chris Pronger, who departed the DoPS for the Florida Panthers this offseason.
- The Winnipeg Jets have indeed given extensions to both GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and coach Paul Maurice, both coming with multi-year terms. The pair will be in Winnipeg for the next several years, trying to take a franchise to the playoffs for just the third time in their history (Atlanta included). Cheveldayoff has done strong work in the draft room and getting players under contract, but he’ll have a huge offseason ahead of him next year. 19 players are restricted free agents including most of their forward group, and another five will be unrestricted. It could change the course of the franchise should he not be able to find a way to fit them all in.
- Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) went all-in on the Detroit Red Wings and their ongoing negotiations with Andreas Athanasiou, explaining where each side is and how they’ve come to a point where the KHL is a legitimate option. He mentions how Sam Bennett‘s recent contract could easily be a starting point for the Athanasiou camp, as the Detroit forward outscored his fellow Definitive Hockey client last season. The most interesting part of the whole piece is near the end, when Custance mentions that the Red Wings are in conversations on several trade fronts around the league. GM Ken Holland has admitted that if they’re to get through camp healthy, a move would likely be required to keep the Red Wings cap-compliant.
KHL Looking More Probable For Athanasiou
- There’s “nothing new” on contract talks between the Red Wings and RFA winger Andreas Athanasiou, GM Ken Holland told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Meanwhile, Athanasiou’s agent Darren Ferris told reporters that the KHL has “moved to more of a probability at this time”. James notes that AK Bars Kazan in the KHL has a one-year offer worth between $2.5MM-$3MM while the Red Wings are coming in at two years at around $1.9MM. It wouldn’t be surprising if Detroit’s PTO deal for P.A. Parenteau from earlier today came about with the uncertainty surrounding Athanasiou’s situation.
P.A. Parenteau Signs PTO With Detroit Red Wings
According to agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, free agent forward P.A. Parenteau has signed a professional tryout with the Detroit Red Wings. He’ll join David Booth in Red Wings camp trying to show that they still deserve an NHL contract.
Parenteau, as Walsh points out, has averaged 17 goals over the past two seasons and has always been a capable offensive player. With 114 goals in 491 games, he can still help a team like Detroit who will be looking for offense, but comes with his share of warts. He’s never been a very capable defensive player and has been criticized in the past for not giving a consistent effort. His best seasons have come on relatively bad teams, when he was given top (or near top) line minutes.
Still, he’s an NHL player that last year brought back a sixth-round pick at the trade deadline. Whatever you think of Parenteau as a fit in Detroit, bringing in an asset to camp is never a bad idea. If he proves he can still score at a reasonable level, allowing him to see some powerplay time through the first half of the season and flipping him at the deadline is a good plan for any rebuilding squad.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Robbie Russo
The Detroit Red Wings have officially announced the contract for young defenseman Robbie Russo, bringing him back for another two years. The two-way deal will earn him $650K each season in the NHL. The 24-year old will remain a restricted free agent at the end of the contract.
Russo made his NHL debut last season, playing 19 games down the stretch for the Red Wings after another impressive run in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, his offensive game didn’t come with him to the NHL and he was held scoreless. He’ll look to break through and show off his puck distribution skills this season, but a spot isn’t locked up at this point.
The Red Wings brought in Trevor Daley in free agency, and still have at least six other NHL-level defensemen on the roster. With the team pushed right up against the salary cap, a player like Russo who is still waivers-exempt will likely be a casualty in camp. He’ll have to wait for an injury or a transaction to open a spot for him this season.
Red Wings Sign Defenseman Robbie Russo
- The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two-year deal with defenseman Robbie Russo. Contract specifics are unknown at this time, but expect the dollar amount to be near league minimum as Russo had little leverage as a 24 year-old RFA. [update: The Athletic’s Craig Custance reports that the deal is a two-year, two-way deal worth $650k/$125k and $650k/$250k] Russo split time between Detroit and its AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. He went scoreless in 16 NHL games but put up 7G and 25A in 58 AHL games. Russo will have a hard time cracking the Red Wings lineup initially—the team has six defenseman making over $1MM annually each—but could battle for the 7th spot with other defensive prospects.
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Andreas Athanasiou Still Talking To KHL Teams
The Detroit Red Wings have yet to sign their young restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou, and they could be about to lose him overseas. We’ve previously reported that Athanasiou had received a contract offer from the KHL, and now Darren Dreger of TSN reports that he’s “in ongoing discussions” with Russian teams. Dreger states that unless there is a change in negotiations with Detroit, the speedy forward will likely sign in the KHL for 2017-18.
It was assumed by many that the KHL offer was just a leverage tactic of agent Darren Ferris, brought up to force the Red Wings to increase their offer after Athanasiou’s breakout campaign. It still could be, but the closer we get to training camp the more real the threat becomes. The KHL deal is expected to be much higher than Ken Holland and the Red Wings are offering.
Athanasiou scored 18 goals last season but has been criticized in the past for an apparent lack of effort and passive play in his own end. While he possesses game-breaking speed that can create offense on a moment’s notice, there have been too many times it disappeared entirely from games. He faced discipline in the form of healthy scratches at times this year, but is still an important piece to the Detroit puzzle going forward. For a team that is dangling somewhere between a bubble playoff team and a full rebuild, losing offense and youth in one swing would be painful. Though, as we’ve mentioned before in our live chats it would give the team a bit of financial relief, while still holding Athanasiou’s rights.