Detroit Red Wings Protect or Not to Protect: Andreas Athanasiou

Welcome to a new summer series on Last Word On Hockey. In preparation for the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21st, LWOH’s Detroit Red Wings Department will be going in depth on every Wing that is eligible to be picked by the newest NHL squad, the Vegas Golden Knights, who will begin play in the fall. The team will likely follow the seven-forward, three-defensemen, and one goalie format of protecting players. This series will also follow that format. For a brush-up on the expansion draft rules, click this link. Without further adieu, we will continue this series with Andreas Athanasiou, the fastest player on the team that has favor with fans but not his coach quite yet.

Andreas Athanasiou

Center/Winger, Shoots Left
6’2″, 188 lbs
Age: 23 (This August 6th)
Cap hit: Restricted Free Agent, coming off of Entry-Level Contract ($628,333 AAV)

Reasons for Protection

Athanasiou is another young player that won the hearts of Wings faithful with his blazing speed and impressive skill set one-on-one. He scored 18 goals and 29 points getting 4:17 more of average ice time versus last season. Athanasiou held a consistent spot in the top six playing wing with Frans Nielsen. Using that speed, he scored five breakaway goals, as well as an end-to-end beauty against the defending champions. His success translated to the extra session as well, as he scored two overtime winners (three game-winners overall).

Like Mantha however, his consistency must be worked on at both ends, as the London, Ontario native scored 11 of his 18 in the first 33 games of the year and his Corsi-Against per 60 minutes was 54.45. Head Coach Jeff Blashill scrutinized Athanasiou it seems the most out of any player this season, and whether it is a tactic to get 100% out of him every night or not remains to be seen. Like Mantha, however, he’ll have time to adjust and will likely get an elevated role with Thomas Vanek gone, pending he signs a new contract.

Reasons for Exposing

If the Athanasiou isn’t in the Wings future plans and it doesn’t work with Blashill, there’s always the option of including him in a deal for a defenseman pending their contract with him this summer. To do this, he must be protected, and there’s no reason for him to be exposed unless Detroit feels he can sneak by while they protect a veteran forward. That won’t be the case, as Vegas will be looking for some exciting players to promote their new team, and Athanasiou more than fits the bill.

Verdict

Protect Him.

Another no-brainer here. Athanasiou, like Mantha, has plenty of time to mature his game coming off of his first full NHL season, and he’s turning into a true offensive weapon that’s important for today’s tight game. His defensive game will come with coaching and experience. If Detroit can build their defense with puck movers that can find forwards up the middle, Athanasiou would benefit tremendously playing the role of wide receiver. He probably won’t be a superstar on his own, but surrounding him with talent will only increase his offensive potential and contribution and turn him into one of the game’s most dangerous forwards one-on-one with the goaltender. He already is building a reputation for that and he hasn’t even played 82 games in a season yet.

Check back tomorrow as a group review of the bottom six grinders will result in Detroit’s final forward being picked for protection.

Each link is a gateway to analysis of each player.

Updated Protection List
Forwards:
Henrik Zetterberg (May 25th)
Frans Nielsen (June 1st)
Gustav Nyquist (June 3rd)
Tomas Tatar (June 6th)
Anthony Mantha (June 8th)
Andreas Athanasiou