The Detroit Red Wings are in a bit of a bind. With less than a month remaining until the start of the 2017-18 NHL season, they’ve yet to sign 23-year-old forward Andreas Athanasiou. Detroit might not have much time to do so either, as TSN’s Darren Dreger has said Athanasiou is in ongoing discussions with KHL teams and will jump ship should the Red Wings fail to sign him.
Andreas Athanasiou is KHL bound unless discussions move forward with Red Wings, per report
The forward has had “ongoing discussions” with several KHL teams as he waits for a new contract in Detroit.
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
This report comes just a few weeks removed from the first rumblings of trouble. In mid-August, Craig Custance with The Athletic confirmed a report that Athanasiou was considering a KHL offer.
Athanasiou was one of the only bright spots for the Red Wings last season. Detroit missed the playoffs for the first time since 1990 as it spiraled to a seventh-place finish in the Atlantic Division with a 79-point season. Athanasiou put up 29 points in 64 games and was second on the team with 18 goals. Given a bigger role, Athanasiou likely projects to be a solid top-six player after being a steal of a pick at the 110th overall spot in the 2012 NHL draft.
The problem for the Red Wings, however, is their salary cap situation. As of Tuesday, the Red Wings are over the cap by $3 million, second only to Toronto in terms of cap space available in the NHL. While Athanasiou is their last big restricted free agent piece to sign, Detroit will have to move someone with a substantial cap hit to make him fit. The Red Wings will likely utilize long-term injured reserve to deal with Johan Franzen’s $3 million cap hit and help them break even, but it won’t be enough to slip Athanasiou under it.
It’s hard to know exactly how much money Athanasiou will command after just two years at the NHL level. With 43 points in 101 games, Athanasiou won’t break the bank but he’s in a huge position of leverage to raise his price. Either the Red Wings will let Athanasiou walk for free after a downer of a season, or they can keep a budding offensive asset for slightly more than he’s worth to help rebuild for the future.
In any case, the Red Wings don’t have much time to figure out a solution before the door shuts on Athanasiou for at least a season.
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