Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Season Outlook For Andreas Athanasiou

08/05/2019 at 7:48am EDT

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

2019-20 outlook: Athanasiou experienced a breakout season after two years of inconsistent play that occasionally drew criticism from coach Jeff Blashill for lack of engagement. Blashill praised him in training camp and continued to laud his competitive level throughout the season.

Athanasiou made a seamless transition to center following the trade deadline and performed well there the final 19 games. He was destined to be the second-line center until Valtteri Filppula was signed on July 1. Now the plan is for Athanasiou to return to the wing, perhaps on a line with Filppula or Frans Nielsen at center and Taro Hirose at the other wing.

Athanasiou’s elite speed and finishing ability should make him a consistent candidate to score 30 goals. Playing the wing will reduce some of his defensive responsibilities, but it’s an area of his game Blashill will continue to stress, regardless if he’s at center or wing.

It’s a contract year for Athanasiou, who could cash in with a long-term deal worth more than $5 million per season with another strong showing.

more

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Abel to Yzerman

Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that.

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Cigar-Nurse in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 45 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings - 1 hour ago
Comment by damndogrevenge in Abel to Yzerman from the entry The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings - 2 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 9 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 9 hours ago