Blackhawks Extend Familiar Face Amid Changing Forward Lines

Less than a month before one of the only pending unrestricted free agents from last year’s Blackhawks squad was scheduled to hit the open market, GM Kyle Davidson and the rest of the brass in Chicago brought back forward Andreas Athanasiou Wednesday evening.

The deal, which is worth a total of $8.5 million, is in effect for the next two years until the summer of 2025, when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. It makes him the fifth-highest paid Blackhawk currently on the team, and the second-highest forward, behind only 32-year-old Tyler Johnson.

Athanasiou was drafted in 2012 110th overall to the Detroit Red Wings, where he played in the NHL from 2015 to 2020. After being traded at the deadline in 2020 to the Edmonton Oilers, he signed one-year contracts with the Los Angeles Kings in both 2020 and 2021. Before the 2022-23 season, he signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Blackhawks. During the season, he played in a whopping 81 games, tallying 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points. He’s a fast skater that fits into Davidson’s scheme, with an impressive scoring instinct.

It’s unclear where Athanasiou will be placed in the lines in October. Toward the end of last season, when Jonathan Toews came back, he was consistent at center on the second line, although he’s more reliable at winger. Either way, the roster will be re-jumbled over the coming months, as there’s no question Connor Bedard will be atop the lineup. Hopefully Philipp Kurashev will be resigned, as he’s currently awaiting restricted free agency. AA will slot in somewhere in the top few lines, as he’s too good a talent to be wasted at the bottom of the depth chart.

The $4.25 million annual cap hit is likely a bit more than he would have gotten had he hit the open market, and may have been a little higher than expected. However, I don’t think the Blackhawks’ front office will be sweating his contract. He works hard, he’s a leader on the ice, he’s extremely versatile on any forward line, and his talent is unquestionable.

Perhaps most importantly, Athanasiou’s contract fits perfectly within the timeline of the rebuild in Chicago. The deal is for only two years, which is exactly what Davidson had in mind, as he’s said in the past that his main priority is to maintain flexibility under the cap for as long as possible as his roster gets fleshed out. Athanasiou has previously stated that he wanted something longer than a two-year deal, and two years for $8.5 million apparently got the job done. Although his deal only has two years on it, he’s currently on the books longer than any other forward on the roster.

While Chicago has work to do this summer, and the forward lines will look completely different in October, the familiar face of Andreas Athanasiou will be around for at least two more seasons. The Blackhawks still have plenty of questions to answer on the front lines, but they seem to have temporarily locked down one of those.