The Detroit Red Wings are struggling for offense once again this season, and a key member of the team just isn't producing as expected.
Speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou remains scoreless in his first 11 games, and has only registered three assists. To make things more interesting, this is a contract year.
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman explained why he wouldn't be shocked to see general manager Steve Yzerman potentially move on from Athanasiou if things don't improve – and also mentions the struggle that it was for him to sign his current deal as another potential factor.
Here is his reasoning:
“Similar situation for the Red Wings and Andreas Athanasiou. I can’t say that Steve Yzerman has put him out there, but waiving Jonathan Ericsson indicates the status quo is not acceptable. Athanasiou started slowly in 2018-19, and still ended up with 30 goals. He’s goalless so far. Complicating all of this is it is a contract year, and the last one was a wrestling match.”
