The Los Angeles Kings didn’t make many roster changes in the offseason, but perhaps their most notable move was signing free agent forward Andreas Athanasiou.
Athanasiou is coming off a down year but scored 30 goals and 54 points in just 76 games with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2018-19 season. Coming to Los Angeles, we figured that Athanasiou could provide another solid option in the top-nine and so far, he’s been good for the Kings. Averaging 11:15 per game at even strength in the first two games, Athanasiou is playing the fifth-most minutes of any forward on the team and he’s also been getting some power play time.
The forward has two goals in two games, both the result of going to the net, and has been connecting well with linemates Blake Lizotte and Jeff Carter. So far, the trio have combined for four of the Kings’ five even strength goals.
Now, there are stats that paint a different picture, considering Athanasiou has a corsi for percentage of just 32.3 per cent. However, it’s important to note that Athanasiou’s defensive zone start percentage is very high, at nearly 64 per cent (according to Hockey Reference), which ranks second on the team, behind only Dustin Brown. With that high of a defensive zone start percentage, it’s not shocking to see a low corsi for percentage.
Athanasiou has been a solid addition to Los Angeles’ top-nine and once Martin Frk returns from injury, the Kings should have three fairly capable lines that can all to produce. We’re only two games into the season but so far, Athanasiou looks to be a promising member of the Kings’ forward group.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Are you happy with Andreas Athanasiou's performance with the Kings thus far?
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