Waived: [CHI] F Andreas Athanasiou waived by the Blackhawks (cleared)

[Mrfenn92]

He will clear and help Rockford

 

[SEALBound]

He will clear and help Rockford

Likely this but I could maybe see Colorado taking a chance due to injuries.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Likely this but I could maybe see Colorado taking a chance due to injuries.

Big cap hit to take on. Believe Val returns soon

 

[SEALBound]

Big cap hit to take on. Believe Val returns soon

Holy crap, $4.25? I don't know why I was thinking he was at $2mil.

Yeah, he gets waived, he clears, he goes to Rockford.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I want him on the devils just so if he scores I can say Andreas, Happytoseeyou. And never get sick of it.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Holy crap, $4.25? I don't know why I was thinking he was at $2mil.

Yeah, he gets waived, he clears, he goes to Rockford.

Yes sir. Maybe they make a move with retention later in the season but my guess is they’ll keep the slots open for others

 

[Oilslick941611]

I was excited when the Oilers traded for him years ago and it was only a small sample size but he wasn't very good. Didn't seem to have the IQ to play with the big boys

He played 9 games had 4 points. The season ended early and had a 4 month break.

He did well enough as an Oiler.

 

[57special]

We all know the biggest piece of fiction in that is Stone's injury not being serious, right?

Well, it might not be serious, but will still have a loooong recovery period. I am guessing he will be back sometime in April.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Will go unclaimed. Not a good cap hit.

 

[Esq]

Long periods of crummy, unintelligent play punctuated by flashes of brilliance.

Happy trails, AA.

 

[PullHard]

If this guy could use his linemates AT ALL or cared about defense AT ALL he’d still be a red wing and his career earnings would probably be multiple times higher than they will be when he retires (although this current contract is actually pretty good for him? How the hell did he earn it?)

The sad reality is, his hockey sense never evolved from his OHL days and I don’t think he’s able to get the puck on his stick without thinking he has to go end to end and score by himself.

 

[featherhawk]

Thank god, i hope someone is idiotic enough to claim him.

 

[BHawk21]

Hes an NHL player. Cap hit moves him out of the league tho.

 

[TS Quint]

He can skate like the wind, has incredible hands and a lethal shot. He's just the dumbest hockey player to ever have this long of a career that wasn't in the show to hit or get hit.

As a Wings fan this is exactly what I said since he came into the league. He is all offense and couldnt care less about defense. Hes a cherry picker. He's so fast he blows the doors off 99.9% of the league but he always insisted on having a 3 stride head start.

 

[Hinterland]

He is also allergic to defence and his own end. Doctors tried to find a cure, but none were found.

He's also allergic to physical contact. Those two things are the problem I guess. If he was a useful two way forward and able to provide value in other areas of the game then teams could look past his lack of vision and hockey IQ.

 

[ploppsdman]

Elite tools, no toolbox. The guy's hockey sense makes Kevin Fiala look like Nik Lidstrom. Rooting for him overall, but man, he's made a long career off being a solo merc who can't use his teammates or anticipate a single defensive play.

I agree. AA plays as if no one else is on the ice. He’s a speed skater who forgets he’s playing hockey.

 

[Pile]

I want him on the devils just so if he scores I can say Andreas, Happytoseeyou. And never get sick of it.

You'd be lucky if you get to say it once

 

[archangel2]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855975500583244120

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855999222593581557

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856013004711612864

Still laugh at the fact the oilers gave the wings two seconds for 9 regular season games and 4 playoff games before realising they could not keep.due how high his qualifying offer needed to be

 

[banks]

This guy is a poor man's Radim Vrbata. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

He looks so fast and flashy that you think "he must be a good middle 6 scorer, how can he not be?" But then he goes and ruins plays in the offensive zone by not knowing where his linemates are, flees from contact like he's in a panic, and has a zero on the give-a-bleep meter.

He gets some empty calorie points, and skates like the wind some of the time. But don't be fooled. AA just isn't an NHL quality player long-term.

 

[The Real JT]

This guy is a poor man's Radim Vrbata. And I don't mean that as a compliment.

He looks so fast and flashy that you think "he must be a good middle 6 scorer, how can he not be?" But then he goes and ruins plays in the offensive zone by not knowing where his linemates are, flees from contact like he's in a panic, and has a zero on the give-a-bleep meter.

He gets some empty calorie points, and skates like the wind some of the time. But don't be fooled. AA just isn't an NHL quality player long-term.

Same DNA as Pierre Engvall.

I’m willing to chip in for an Ancestry.com test for the both of them.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I've long maintained he'd make an interesting fourth line depth scorer. Tie him to two defensively responsible guys with no offensive talent or pair him with McDrai and he'd see like a fifteen point swing. He doesn't use his linemates whatsoever. He's one of the most dangerous players in the league off the rush and absolutely useless in every other situation. If your team has established possession in the other teams zone the puck will die on Andreas' stick.

He can also go in one on three and score. If you just looked at his highlight reel you'd compare him to Pavel Bure. Dude is a unicorn. He's not even lazy he's just got negative hockey IQ.

 

[VaporTrail]

Is his no tool box something that good coaching could fix ?

 

[McShogun99]

I was excited when the Oilers traded for him years ago and it was only a small sample size but he wasn't very good. Didn't seem to have the IQ to play with the big boys

and one of the picks the Oilers traded for him ended up being Brock Faber.....

 

[Reality Czech]

He can skate like the wind, has incredible hands and a lethal shot. He's just the dumbest hockey player to ever have this long of a career that wasn't in the show to hit or get hit.

Sounds like a Canadian Yakupov

 

[WarriorofTime]

Is his no tool box something that good coaching could fix ?

He's 30 years old. If a GTHL upbringing, 4 years in the OHL, 83 games in the AHL and 492 games in the NHL hasn't fixed it through this point, I don't think he's a Coach away from it all coming together. Sneaky player because he does have some historical bursts of production but can never maintain it because he doesn't fit in systems well.