The Chicago Blackhawks are having a rough go of it this season. While they weren’t supposed to be very good in the first place, it’s been even worse than anticipated. A lot of this has to do with the losses of Taylor Hall (torn ACL) and Corey Perry (work-place misconduct). Those were two important pieces that are no longer available. It’s taken its toll on this team. Another impactful player the Blackhawks have been without since Nov. 9 is Andreas Athanasiou, due to a right groin and hip-related injury.
The good news is head coach Luke Richardson indicated on Sunday (Mar. 3) that Athanasiou could be available as soon as the tail end of this upcoming road trip, versus the Washington Capitals on Mar. 9. But where exactly will the speedy forward fit into the lineup? Let’s look at Athanasiou’s previous deployment and the makeup of the existing lineup. From there, we can make some educated guesses of where Athanasiou might be most effective.
Athanasiou’s Impact in the 2022-23 Season
After bouncing around the NHL for a few seasons (Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles) Blackhawks’ general manager Kyle Davidson gave Athanasiou a fresh start with a one-year contract worth $3 million for the 2022-23 season. It’s safe to say he made the most of it. With Patrick Kane and Max Domi traded at the deadline, Athanasiou ended up finishing the campaign as the Blackhawks’ top producer (20 goals and 40 points).
He had the most success at the end of the season centering a line with Lukas Reichel and Philipp Kurashev. Athanasiou went on quite the run in the last eight games, tallying six goals and 12 points and developing chemistry with his two linemates. This was enough to earn him a two-year contract extension worth $8.5 million. Said Davidson at the time of the re-signing,
Andreas worked out really well for us. There was actually some nice chemistry with Lukas Reichel, which is not nothing — [I] really liked that. [I] liked his presence around the room; liked his play on the ice. He shows up every night. … We had mutual interest in him coming back.
Athanasiou also did a great job of handling centering responsibilities down the stretch, despite playing wing most of the campaign. A line of Reichel, Athanasiou and Kurashev did well in the past and seemed to make sense to start the 2023-24 campaign. But it didn’t exactly work out that way.
Deployment of Athanasiou in His First 11 Games of 2023-24
At the beginning of this season, Kurashev wasn’t available due to a wrist injury, and the Blackhawks had committed to trying Reichel as the second line center. Athanasiou, surprisingly, was not immediately slotted in with Reichel. Instead, he spent five of his first 11 games on the third and fourth lines with depth players such as Cole Guttman, Boris Katchouk and MacKenzie Entwistle. He was even a healthy scratch on Oct. 27.
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We now know the 29-year-old wasn’t completely healthy. He stepped on a puck or a stick in training camp and was trying to work through it. However, in six games (and the last three prior to his injury) Athanasiou was deployed on the second line with Reichel. This was after the attempt to deploy Reichel at center was abandoned. Athanasiou now lined up down the middle with Taylor Raddysh on the right wing.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help us much moving forward since Reichel is currently playing with the Rockford IceHogs. It does, however, give us a sense of Athanasiou’s versatility. He can play center, wing and up and down in the lineup. This should give Richardson lots of options for the forward/center as soon as he returns to the lineup.
Assessing the Blackhawks’ Current Lineup
To get a better idea of where Athanasiou could slot in, let’s look at the current lineup for the Blackhawks. Here’s the forward lines from the Blackhawks last game against the Colorado Avalanche on Mar. 4. These lines have been pretty consistent of late.
Donato-Bedard-Kurashev
Blackwell-Dickinson-Anderson
Foligno-T. Johnson-Raddysh
Katchouk-Entwistle-Beauvillier
It’s safe to say Kurashev is entrenched on the top line with Connor Bedard. But their left wing has been a bit of a revolving door. Could this be an option for Athanasiou? More on this in a bit.
The Blackhawks are actually doing all right down the middle. After Bedard, Jason Dickinson, Tyler Johnson and Entwistle have all done a decent job winning draws and driving their lines. Although that’s not to say there couldn’t be improvement in that area (last season Athanasiou was winning draws at almost a 47% clip).
Colin Blackwell, Dickinson and Joey Anderson have formed a rather formidable physical second line, with a bit of a scoring touch as well. Nick Foligno has also played with Dickinson and Anderson with some success. Would placing Athanasiou here mess with this dynamic, or could it be an improvement?
Would it make sense to reunite Raddysh and Athanasiou, since they were playing together on a line with Reichel at the beginning of the season? Raddysh could use a spark; he’s STILL only at five goals and 11 points in 57 games this season.
One final thought on the current lineup. I’m guessing Reese Johnson will be the odd man out when Athanasiou returns. Although Entwistle could be on the bubble as well. Beauvillier hasn’t done much to impress either.
Related – Possible Trade Packages for Blackhawks’ Colin Blackwell
Let’s also remember the Blackhawks could lose a body or two at the trade deadline this Friday (Mar. 8). The top candidates to be moved are Blackwell and T. Johnson. If you look at the above lines, Athanasiou could easily get plugged in to replace either one of these players, and then the coaching staff can tweak things from there. Especially since his projected return is a day after the deadline.
Thoughts on Athanasiou’s Future Deployment
Now that we’ve discussed many possible scenarios, let’s get down to some predictions for Athanasiou’s future placement in the lineup.
Since he’s been out so long (four months), I fully expect the Woodbridge, Ontario native to start on the third or fourth line for a couple of games. I’d guess all parties involved will want to limit his minutes to get him re-acclimated. But depending on how long this transition takes, I see Athanasiou either on the first or second line for the remainder of the season. Here are my arguments for each.
Athanasiou on the Top Line
We discussed above that no one has really run away with the left wing position on the top line, alongside Bedard and Kurashev. Athansiou could be that person. His speed and playmaking ability would certainly complement that line, making it even more of a threat than it already is.
Also, Athanasiou is a left-handed shot while Bedard is a right-handed shot. Bedard hasn’t exactly gotten the hang of winning draws in the NHL yet (38.9%). He and his elder partner could share the wealth here, taking turns at the faceoff dot depending on their opponent’s handedness.
Considering all the struggles the Blackhawks have had of late, the added scoring threat of Athanasiou on the top line is very intriguing.
Athanasiou on the Second Line
But would that be too top-heavy? Let’s face it, the Blackhawks don’t have a whole lot of depth. For the sake of the team as a whole, perhaps it would be better if Athanasiou was deployed on the second line. Sure, the dynamic would be changed. This line wouldn’t be as physical, and they might not have the same shutdown capabilities. But, they would be much more of a threat to score.
I could see “Double A”, as he’s nicknamed, replacing Blackwell, on a line with Dickinson and Anderson. Or, perhaps Blackwell remains and Anderson slots down. The main point is placing Dickinson and Athanasiou together. Heck, maybe you give Raddysh a whirl on the right side to see if he still has some of that chemistry with his former linemate.
While there a lot of options and so many variables, it seems in a logistical world Athanasiou would be best deployed on the second line. I personally like Athanasiou-Dickinson-Raddysh the best.
Finally, let’s not forget Athanasiou is also signed through next season. This is a time when he and Reichel could build on the chemistry they had last season. If Reichel returns to the big club at any point this season, it might make sense to pair them together again.
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With all the losing of late, the Blackhawks sure could use someone of Athanasiou’s caliber in the lineup. Some pundits want the Blackhawks to keep losing, so they finish last in the league and guarantee themselves a top-three draft pick. But let’s face it, the losing is starting to take a toll on the players. They need a spark and they need to start winning some games. Athanasiou could be just what they need.
