Blackhawks: Signing Andreas Athanasiou

The Blackhawks have a lot of moving parts, but seem to know the core group they want to run with. As far as adding forward depth goes, a solid piece that could fall into their lap is Kings forward Andreas Athanasiou, who is known as a speedster that can produce offence while being a contributor in his own zone. The 27 year old currently stands at 6’2 190 pounds, and while battling injuries put up 17 through 28 games. An 82 game pace of about 49 points. 

An offensive boost in the bottom 6 could be just what the Blackhawks need, or want in their lineup. A younger guy that still has a lot to prove after bouncing around teams for a couple years, could become a big part of the team's rebuild if he becomes a good fit. With 378 games of NHL experience, he’s well settled into the life of a pro hockey player and is slowly leaning into veteran territory. His injury troubles may scare teams off,  but at a good price the Blackhawks should be all over him.

Should the Blackhawks sign him?

Yes. I may be a bit biased, but I’ve always loved Athanasiou. He didn’t pan out in Edmonton, but coming to a rebuilding team with a bigger role, with linemates that can move him the puck as well as have a solid finishing ability could unlock a version of him that no one in the league has seen yet.

An ideal contract would be 2-3 years at $2-2.5M AAV. He’s worth that, but not much more. The Blackhawks have room to overpay some players, but definitely not too much. They have to be smart with their money and seriously scout who they want to bring in. Athanasiou’s career could be revamped and skyrocketed in Chicago, if he’s put in the proper role.