Blackhawks News: Andreas Athanasiou to be placed on waivers

The Chicago Blackhawks made some headlines this morning with a bit of Blackhawks News after a big overtime win last night.

Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday that Chicago was going to be placing Andreas Athanasiou on waivers, something Luke Richardson later confirmed at practice, per Charlie Roumeliotis.

The Hawks placing Athanasiou on waivers is not much of a surprise. The team has struggled to find a consistent role for Athanasiou this season as he has appeared in just five games averaging 9:35 minutes of ice time a night. He has not played since Oct. 22 against the Vancouver Canucks.

Athanasiou’s best season in Chicago came in 2022-23, his first year in the Windy City. In 81 games played, Athanasiou registered 40 points, 20 goals and 20 assists. Last season, Athanasiou played in just 28 games due to injuries and wasn’t able to repeat his success from the year prior.

The Hawks waiving Athanasiou is no surprise. With the team struggling with center depth, Athanasiou was not able to make his mark in the preseason and earn a spot down the middle. This is a clear case of a forward looking for a fresh start, but will a team claim him?

Chicago head coach Luke Richardson on Andreas Athanasiou being placed on waivers: "I just think with his injury last year that kept him out a lot of last year, he missed a lot of hockey then and unfortunately just not clicking on all cylinders yet this year, not in the lineup…

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 11, 2024

Athanasiou is signed through the end of this season with a cap hit of $4.25 million. That might be a bit too high for a team potentially looking to add him into their lineup. There is a real chance Athanasiou could end up in Rockford with an opportunity to play alongside Frank Nazar and the Hawks young stars. Either way, Andreas Athanasiou will be given a fresh start, either in Rockford or on a new team.