The Chicago Blackhawks 2022 crazy offseason continued Wednesday when they agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with forward Andreas Athanasiou.
Chicago general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson is tearing down the roster and rebuilding from the bottom, but they are adding some veteran free agent forwards, including Max Domi and Athanasiou around a lot of young players.
What the Blackhawks Are Getting in Athanasiou
It was a frustrating 2021-22 season for Athanasiou with the Los Angeles Kings. He was productive with 11 goals and 17 points in 28 games, but he missed a majority of the season with COVID-19 and injuries. He was drafted 110th overall in the fourth round of the 2012 Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He posted career high’s in goals (30), assists (24), and points (54) with the Red Wings in 2018-19.
In 378 career games, Athanasiou has 105 goals and 91 assists, which leaves him four shy of 200 points for his career. The 27-year-old center was traded from the Red Wings to the Edmonton Oilers in February of 2020 before the season was shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic after he played in just nine games with a goal and an assist. He signed a free agent deal with the Kings in December of 2020 head of the 56-game shortened 2020-21 season.
Blackhawks Retooling Roster
The wheeling and dealing for Chicago started last week ahead of the Entry Draft in Montreal when Davidson sent Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for draft picks. Kirby Dach was also sent to the Montreal Canadiens. The Blackhawks, which finished seventh in the Central Division last season, still have stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the roster, but with the rebuild underway in the Windy City, you have to wonder just how much longer they will be there.
Related: 2022 NHL Free Agent Signing Tracker
Despite signing Domi and Athanasiou to deals, both are not expected to be part of Chicago’s rebuild. It would not surprise anyone if they become available to teams at the trade deadline in 2023. Earlier in the week, the Blackhawks did not extend qualifying offers to Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik, which allowed them to become unrestricted free agents (UFA).
