The Los Angeles Kings signed free agent forward Andreas Athanasiou to a one-year deal yesterday, worth $1.2 million.
Athanasiou has spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Red Wings, before being dealt to the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline last season. He’s scored 84 goals and 156 points in 303 career NHL games and last season, he scored 11 goals and 26 points in 55 games, a pace of 16 goals and 39 points per 82 games.
Athanasiou is coming off a contract with a $3 million AAV and despite a decrease in his production last season, the Kings are getting him at a great price. Here are his goals and points per 82-game averages over the last four seasons:
Throughout his career he’s been good for between 35-40 points per 82 and in his four full NHL seasons, he's never averaged fewer than 16 goals or 37 points per 82. So even if his production doesn’t bounce back to the 2018-19 levels, he can still act as a contributing middle-six forward and is just 26 years old.
That said, there are some indications that his production could recover next season, at least to an extent. His shooting percentage was 8.5 per cent last season, which was a career-low for him. In addition to that, Detroit’s shooting percentage while Athanasiou was on the ice was just 7.3 per cent, which could have been a factor in him not having more assists last season.
I think there’s a good chance we see Athanasiou playing left wing on the second line, likely alongside Gabriel Vilardi and Martin Frk. This could provide the line with some NHL experience and would also allow Adrian Kempe to play on the third-line, where he’ll probably be better suited.
While fans probably shouldn’t expect Athanasiou to be a difference-maker, it’s a no-risk, high reward signing for the Kings.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Where do you think Andreas Athanasiou will play in the Kings' lineup this season?
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