Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Andreas Athanasiou

Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Point, Brassard, Condon

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings pulled off a big overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday, but suffered an even bigger loss when star center Dylan Larkin had to leave the game in overtime while trying to chase Mitch Marner. He was doubled over and appeared to hurt his rib cage.

Fox Sports John Keating reports that coach Jeff Blashill said that Larkin will miss one to two weeks with a strained oblique muscle, although the team is hoping he will only miss one week. He has already been ruled out for tonight’s game against Ottawa. Andreas Athanasiou is expected to replace Larkin at center on that line.

Larkin has been a key player for the struggling Red Wings. He is having a career-year as he already has 22 goals, just one shy of his career-high and is close to being a point-per game player.

  • In a mailbag article, The Athletic’s Joe Smith writes that Tampa Bay Lightning soon-to-be restricted free agent Brayden Point has made it quite clear that he wants to remain in Tampa Bay for a long time and the scribe suggests that the team might be best offering a five-year deal which might be the perfect compromise between a bridge deal and an eight-year pact. Both sides have agreed to put off contract talks until the summer. With 30 points goals and 65 points already in 51 games, the 22-year-old should receive quite a bump in pay when signing his new deal.
  • Even though the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to get their new acquisitions Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann into their game Friday by giving them a police escort from the airport to the game, the Florida Panthers didn’t do the same thing. The Panthers, who acquired Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, three draft picks and future cap room from Pittsburgh earlier in the day Friday, opted to go without the pair Friday and are expected to have the two in the lineup Saturday against Vegas, according to Sun Sentinel’s Wells Dusenbury “I didn’t find out [about the trade] until about 11 [am],” Boughner said. “We were planning on having a different lineup in there tonight and so we built the lineup with what we had and unfortunately [Brassard and Sheahan] couldn’t get in for the game.”
  • The Ottawa Senators continue to be without goaltender Mike Condon, who the team placed on waivers on Oct. 31 who had and still is trying to come back from a hip injury, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The veteran goaltender cleared waivers, but has appeared in just one game for the Belleville Senators in all that time. Condon has recently started skating and working out in Ottawa, but there remains no timetable for his return. The hope is that he can make a return to the ice for Belleville March. The team acquired goaltender Anders Nilsson to be their backup goaltender on Jan. 2, who has fared well in eight appearances for Ottawa with a .922 save percentage, meaning that Condon will have a tough time getting back into the goaltending rotation, barring injury.

Trade Rumors: Kreider, Athanasiou, Hurricanes

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Several sources have reported that New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider could be available ahead of the trade deadline this season, and while they’re not wrong, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that it will take a “perfect deal” for the Rangers to give him up. Brooks writes that Kreider, the team’s leading goal scorer, is too valuable to give up while term remains on his contract. The big winger is signed through next season at a below-market $4.625 and the rebuilding club needs to take advantage of that while they can. Brooks goes so far as to state the team would prefer to re-sign the 27-year-old long-term if possible. So what would it take for them to deviate from those plans? Brooks believes the Rangers would ask for a young roster forward with similar offensive upside as a starting point or else an elite prospect. He even names players like Cale Makar, Martin Necas, Ryan Donato, Troy Terry, Eeli Tolvanen, and Cody Glass as preferred targets, all of whom are among the best pro-ready prospects in hockey. That’s a high asking price for a player of Kreider’s caliber and makes it seem as if the power forward isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

  • It seems that the Detroit Red Wings’ Andreas Athanasiou is finally off of the trade block. After two years of rumors about the young forward’s availability, TSN’s Darren Dreger stated on WGR 550 in Buffalo yesterday that it appears the Red Wings are no longer willing to move Athanasiou. While Detroit continues to struggle in the standings, they have made some strides in their rebuild this season with more young players taking on larger roles. Athanasiou has been one of those key youngsters, currently second in goals and third in points for the team and on pace to break his career-high in scoring within the next few games. With the 24-year-old finally meeting expectations and signed to a reasonable $3MM salary for another year, the cap-strapped Red Wings have many reasons to hold on to Athanasiou.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Burnside, Pierre LeBrun, and Craig Custance spent some time discussing the trade deadline status of the Carolina Hurricanes on the latest “Two-Man Advantage” podcast. The trio all agreed that there is a large market for forward Micheal Ferland right now and the power forward is nearly a lock to be dealt by the trade deadline. However, the more intriguing deadline story line in Raleigh is who among the defensemen are moved. As a bubble team, Carolina could be both a buyer and/or seller in the rental market, but are likely more focused on the long term with hockey trades. It has already been reported that the Hurricanes are willing to move one of their six impressive starters – all of whom are signed through at least next season – in exchange for forward help. However, Custance adds another reason why the team might need to move a blue liner sooner rather than later. He believes that Carolina’s best chance to sign impressive collegiate defenseman Adam Fox, the oft-forgotten third piece received from the Calgary Flames, is to sign him immediately following the end of his season at Harvard University and let him play down the stretch and possibly in the postseason this year. To do that, the Hurricanes would need to thin their current defensive group to allow for Fox to play meaningful minutes. All signs point to a defender being on the move out of Carolina. The only question now is which one.

Eastern Notes: Vanek, Bruins, Hickey, Ennis

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It’s been a quiet year for Thomas Vanek who was signed to a one-year deal by Detroit to provide some veteran scoring while the team waits for its young talent to develop. However Vanek, who has scored 20 goals in 11 of his last 13 seasons in the NHL, hasn’t really done much of that. Despite scoring the lone goal in Detroit’s 2-1 loss to Florida on Saturday, Vanek has just five goals and is on a pace to score a career-low 14 goals this year.

Granted, the winger is 34 years old now and is averaging just 13:24 minutes per game, a career-low as well. However, with recent injuries to players like Mike Green, Anthony Mantha and most recently Andreas Athanasiou, Vanek needs to get going and he says he’s losing sleep over his dropping numbers, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan.

“It’s been a frustrating year,” Vanek said. “Even tonight, I felt good and should’ve had two, should’ve had three, and I walked away with one. It’s frustrating. I’m losing sleep over it, but at the same time, I got to stay positive and keep getting to the net, and hopefully it will turn quick.”

  • The Boston Bruins announced that while Jake Debrusk, Kevan Miller and Zdeno Chara would all be out for today’s game against Carolina, head coach Bruce Cassidy said that all three could be back immediately after the Christmas break on Thursday when they play New Jersey. Debrusk hasn’t played since Dec. 6, while Miller has been out since Nov. 26. Chara has been out the longest since Nov. 14. If all three come back, the Bruins might be as close to fully heathy as they ever have been.
  • Newsday’s Aaron Gross writes that New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey, who has been out for a week with a concussion, participated in the team’s optional morning skate. He also skated on Friday and hasn’t suffered any setbacks in his recovery. There is no timeline yet for his return, but the team hopes it will be soon.
  • While the Toronto Maple Leafs have already recalled forward Trevor Moore, the youngster could find himself with the team for quite a bit longer than a simple cup of coffee after Saturday night’s injury to Tyler Ennis. Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported late last night that Ennis broke his ankle on a shot from Morgan Rielly in the second period. Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said “he’ll be out a while.” Ennis was having a impressive season in a bottom-line role as he already had seven goals and 11 points in 33 games.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Miller, Athanasiou, Zadina

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While there was an expectation that the Toronto Maple Leafs would even get better once they signed William Nylander to a six-year, $45MM deal, the team hasn’t gotten the production out of their young star so far as many would have hoped. The 22-year-old sat out for the first 59 days of the season holding out, but has struggled so far since returning to the Toronto lineup.

So far the forward has just two assists in seven games and while he is undoubtedly still trying to shake off the rust after such a long layoff, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn (subscription required) writes that Nylander has been the worst player on the ice for the Maple Leafs lately, pointing out his most recent performance against Florida was quite sub-par, including making several mistakes, including missing a wide-open shot from Connor Brown at one point, while never taking a single shot against the Panthers. While the scribe believes that Nylander will eventually turn it around, he believes that Nylander could continue his current trend for a bit more.

  • Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Hub reports that defenseman Kevan Miller will not be cleared until Dec. 27 at the earliest. The blueliner has been out since Nov. 26 after suffering cartilage damage to his larynx. The 31-year-old has only appeared in 11 games this season, but have to hope that Miller will be back within a week. The team does hope that Jake Debrusk will play Sunday.
  • The Detroit Red Wings played without Andreas Athanasiou Saturday and could be without him again on Sunday, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The 24-year old expected to play today, but was ruled out with an upper-body injury and he remains questionable for Sunday. Athanasiou is having a breakout year so far with 11 goals in just 32 games. His career-high is 18.
  • When the Detroit Red Wings allowed Filip Zadina to join the Czech National Team for the World Junior Champsionships, the team was well aware that the move could backfire. The Athletic’s Katie Strang (subscription required) writes there is always concern with injury, diminished returns or the potential that Zadina could return to some of his junior league habits, but the team still felt that playing at the World Juniors could be a huge benefit for Zadina’s development to get him ready for the NHL game. “I think that he knows that he’s not quite ready,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “He’s close, but he has to work on other aspects of his game. When they call him up they don’t want him to come back here. Their whole plan — I can’t speak for them, but I don’t think they want to give him that thrill of getting called up and have that disappointment of getting sent down.”

 

Atlantic Notes: Weber, Athanasiou, Pysyk, Kovar

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens have had a nice start to the season with an 8-5-3 record to start the season. However, more good news could be on the way as there was a Shea Weber sighting today as the veteran defenseman took the ice this morning along with David Schlemko, Brendan Gallagher, Noah Juulsen and Carey Price, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

The team captain was originally scheduled to return sometime in December, so it still may be a while before he fully returns, but this is a step in the right direction for the veteran. Weber could add another key element to a young team that seems to have found some offense from a number of young names and gotten some solid goaltending from Price. Adding Weber to their blueline could only make the team stronger as they start hitting the middle of their season schedule.

  • The Detroit Red Wings like what they see from winger Andreas Athanasiou so far this year. What the 24-year-old has always lacked was competive consistency, which they are finally starting to see everyday, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. Athanasiou has always had the speed that many people felt he could put up big numbers if he figured things out. However, the best the Red Wings have gotten out of him has been 18 goals, two years ago. Through 13 games so far this season, he already has six goals and nine points and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. “I know those chances are going to come, so it’s just playing hard when I get out there and capitalizing on those chances,” Athanasiou said.
  • George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk remains a healthy scratch for the seventh straight time despite being medically cleared to play again on Thursday, but can’t seem to work his way back into Florida’s lineup. He was knocked out of the lineup after taking a hit from Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on Oct. 19. The hope is he will be in the lineup on Sunday.
  • Jan Kovar was brought overseas with the intention of plugging him in the New York Islanders’ lineup. Two months later has the 28-year-old Kovar playing on a PTO with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, but faring quite well with five goals and nine points in eight games. Could a promotion be in order? “Smart player,” said Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney (via Providence Journal’s Mark Divver). “I really like the skills, top of the circles down in the offensive zone. What probably surprises me a little bit, coming from (the KHL), is how gritty he is, as far as playing in high traffic, possession.”
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Adam Erne were out tonight and are listed as day-to-day, both with upper-body injuries. With the return of defenseman Victor Hedman, it looked as if the team’s defense was almost healthy. Instead, the team will be without Stralman for the time being, who was the one to fill many of Hedman’s minutes. Slater Koekkoek remains in the lineup.

 

East Notes: Tkachuk, Smith, Nielsen, Athanasiou, Penguins

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Senators winger Brady Tkachuk skated for the first time today since tearing a ligament in his leg, notes Postmedia’s Ken Warren.  The fourth pick back in June was off to a very strong start to his season with three goals and three assists in just four games before suffering the injury.  Although this is certainly a step in the right direction, he’s likely to miss at least another two to three weeks based on the original recovery timeframe.

Meanwhile, Warren adds (via Twitter) that center Zack Smith underwent surgery on Sunday to repair a trio of facial fractures and has been prohibited from any physical activity for at least a week.  He has been placed on injured reserve.  The Senators are now down to just 12 healthy forwards so there’s a possibility that they’ll make a roster move in advance of Tuesday’s game against Arizona.

More from the East:

  • The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that they will be without center Frans Nielsen for at least the next two games due to an undisclosed injury. The veteran got off to a quiet start to his season but has been more productive as of late with four assists in the last four games.  Detroit may also be without center Andreas Athanasiou tomorrow night as he is listed as doubtful with an undisclosed injury.  The 24-year-old is tied for the team lead in goals with four through the first eleven games.
  • Penguins defenseman Kris Letang left practice early today due to a lower-body issue that occurred on Saturday, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. As a result, his availability for Tuesday’s game against the Islanders is in question.  Meanwhile, winger Jake Guentzel should be able to play despite leaving Saturday’s game early following a high-stick to the face from teammate Dominik Simon.

Snapshots: Zetterberg, Brodeur, Nash

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill provided an update on the condition of Henrik Zetterberg to reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan and the prognosis isn’t a good one.  He noted that as things stand, he doesn’t expect the veteran to be ready to play in training camp and that if that is indeed the case, it’s doubtful that he will play at all in 2018-19.  Zetterberg dealt with lingering back issues last season and the pain doesn’t appear to be going away.  Detroit will be eligible to place his $6.083MM contract on LTIR if he is deemed unable to play during his physical at training camp next month.

Blashill also stated that Andreas Athanasiou is the most likely candidate to shift to center if Zetterberg is indeed out for the season.  While Darren Helm is also a natural center, he has spent the bulk of the last few years on the wing but the coach believes the continuity of keeping him there is preferable for the Red Wings.

More from around the league:

  • The contract for Martin Brodeur as the assistant GM in St. Louis expired back in June and although he was expected to return, that is no longer the case, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required). He spent the past three years in that capacity while also spending a year split between playing and being a special advisor with the Blues.  Rutherford notes that his next destination is not yet known but it’s believed that he would like to return to the Devils at some point where he spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career.
  • With training camps set to start within the next couple of weeks, Rick Nash remains the most prominent unrestricted free agent left on the market. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link) that he has yet to hear anything regarding the winger’s intentions for 2018-19.  Boston acquired him just before the trade deadline to fill a role in their top-six and have yet to really fill that vacancy over the summer.  If Nash does decide at some point to play, a return to Boston on a one-year pact would certainly be an option; he had stated back in May that he’d be open to returning there.

Atlantic Notes: Point, Athanasiou, Halak, Alzner

at CDT | by 6 Comments

With his entry-level contract set to expire at the end of this season, Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point may only get better as he looks towards a bigger contract next season. In only his second season, the 22-year-old quickly and quietly moved into the No. 2 center position last season and went from 18 goals and 40 points in his rookie campaign to 32 goals and 66 points in his sophomore campaign last year.

Now armed with the incentive to take another big step in his development as he will get a chance to earn himself a hefty raise next season, don’t be surprised if Point takes that next step to become a point-per-game scorer in the league, according to NBC Sports Scott Billeck. Point likely wouldn’t be in this position had it not been for the unfortunate injury of Steven Stamkos in 2016-17 as Point received the roster spot in wake of Stamkos’ injury. He has made the most of it. One other reason, his growth is likely to continue is because of his impressive playoff performance last year where he posted seven goals and 16 points in 17 games.

  • MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that Detroit Red Wings winger Andreas Athanasiou could find himself a trade candidate in the coming months if he can’t prove to be a more consistent player. The 24-year-old is coming off a disappointing season in which he went from an 18-goal scorer in 2016-17 to a 16-goal scorer last season, even though he played seven more games. However, Khan writes that missing training camp and the first 10 games of the season due to a contract impasse last year might have a lot to do with his struggles. If the team was going to trade him, Khan believes the team wouldn’t be interested in draft picks as they were when they moved out Tomas Tatar to Vegas at the trade deadline. Instead, the Red Wings may be on the lookout for a defenseman, who can help their struggling defense.
  • Don’t be shocked if Boston Bruins’ new backup Jaroslav Halak turns in a solid season this year behind starter Tuukka Rask and maybe fights him eventually for the starting job. NBC Sports Joe Haggerty writes the 33-year-old may have struggled immensely the past two years with the New York Islanders, but he should be in a much better situation, defensively, in Boston. While never having been a backup before, Halak is expected to eat into some of Rask’s playing time this year. He is likely to be asked to play between 30-35 games this year, which should give him a easier workload as opposed to the 54 games he played in New York. Behind the Islanders shaky defense, Halak finished with a 3.19 GAA and a .908 save percentage. The starting job in the future may depend on how each goalie fares this year.
  • NHL.com’s Matt Cudzinowski interviewed Montreal Canadiens defenseman Karl Alzner who signed with the team last offseason, but struggled in Montreal in his first season there. The 29-year-old said he was disappointed in his play in the first year and attributed much of it to needing time to get comfortable and adjust to the way the Canadiens play. “There were definitely some growing pains,” Alzner said. “It wasn’t a very fun year of hockey. People maybe had some expectations for me that were a little bit unrealistic. I know what I can bring to this team when I’m playing well. I just need to stay under the radar and do the right things, do the little things right. That’s success for me.”

Atlantic Notes: Bjugstad, Athanasiou, Karlsson, Callahan

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad has long been in trade speculation but nothing has come to fruition.  Even though his name has popped up in the rumor mill once again as of late, his agent Ben Hankinson told Michael Russo of The Athletic during an interview on KFAN (audio link) that it’s unlikely that his client winds up being dealt:

“I’m pretty close with their GM, Dale Tallon, who’s a big Nick Bjugstad fan. Even the last couple of years hasn’t been, numbers-wise, as productive for him so there was a lot of talk. A couple of years ago too. And it’s the same teams: Montreal, Pittsburgh was looking, the Wild have always been in the mix. So every time I go to Dale, he says, ‘Not a chance, Hank. There’s not a chance we’re trading him. I love him.’”

The 25-year-old adapted well to being shifted to the wing with Florida and posted a career year offensively with 49 points (19-30-49) in 82 games.  However, given Bjugstad’s size and ability to play down the middle, the Panthers are assuredly going to continue to field interest in him but it doesn’t appear that they’re willing to deal him just yet.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Although the Red Wings were able to get a deal done fairly quickly with Andreas Athanasiou, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press believes there is still a chance the team could trade the winger. The 23-year-old has shown flashes of becoming a dominant player but at the same time, has struggled considerably with his focus in his own end which has drawn the ire of the coaching staff.  At $3MM for two years, St. James suggests that teams may view his new deal as an asset which could help facilitate a move if Detroit is inclined to part ways with Athanasiou.
  • With talks that discussions between the Senators and Lightning regarding defenseman Erik Karlsson have cooled off, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that Dallas has now re-emerged as the likeliest destination for the blueliner. The Stars had shown interest early on but weren’t inclined to include top prospect Miro Heiskanen in a trade which is what had seemingly put them out of the running early on.
  • From the same report, Brooks adds that the Rangers still have some interest in bringing back winger Ryan Callahan if Tampa Bay decides that they still need to free up some cap space for this season and next. New York will likely be seeking some form of draft pick compensation from the Lightning to relieve them of their $5.8MM per season obligation over the next two years.

Andreas Athanasiou Agrees To Two-Year Deal

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The deadline for player-elected salary arbitration comes and goes today, and Andreas Athanasiou won’t be filing this season. That’s because he’s agreed to a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings according to Craig Custance of The Athletic. John Matisz of theScore reports that the deal will come in around $3MM per season for the speedy winger, who dealt with a lengthy holdout last summer and ended up signing on October 23rd, well into the season.

Athanasiou, 23, set a career high in points last season with 33 in 71 games, but still wasn’t the dominant offensive presence that some have predicted. His speed is of the game-changing variety, but he hasn’t been able to round out the rest of his game to become a top-line player on a consistent basis. There’s nothing wrong with falling in somewhere further down the depth chart, but this two-year deal will give him another chance at showing that he can be an elite scoring threat in the NHL. Athanasiou will still be a restricted free agent when the contract expires, but would be much closer to unrestricted free agency and a potentially expensive long-term contract.

Given the long and sometimes public negotiation that went on last offseason though, this deal comes as somewhat of a surprise. There were plenty of rumors a year ago that Athanasiou could be traded, and his representation even confirmed that he was talking to KHL teams about a potential contract to go overseas. While the two would eventually come to an agreement on a one-year contract worth just under $1.388MM—or at least the prorated version of it—it wasn’t clear what Athanasiou’s long-term future was in Detroit. It’s still not a guarantee that he lasts on the Red Wings through the next part of his career, but getting him under contract before the arbitration deadline is a good sign.

The cap hit of $3MM though may pose a problem for the Red Wings. Detroit now has just over $6MM in cap space remaining, and still have to work out contracts with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha. Long-term deals for either of them will eat up a good chunk of that number after Larkin led the team in points with 63 and Mantha led in goals with 24. The team does have nearly $4MM in cap space tied up in Johan Franzen who can be moved to long-term injured reserve, but that still doesn’t give them a lot of wiggle room for in-season moves or any more free agent acquisitions. The Red Wings are trying to rebuild, and cap space can often be used as a weapon in trade negotiations in order to collect extra assets. While there is quite a bit of relief coming next summer, the Red Wings look like they’ll push up against the ceiling for another year without a very exciting roster to show for it.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top