Blackhawks Daily: Athanasiou clears waivers, Keith Hall of Fame Eligible

The Chicago Blackhawks now just have 13 forwards with their roster after sending Andreas Athanasiou through waivers on Monday.

Athanasiou had played in just five games this season, failing to make a real impact and replicate his success from a few years ago where he registered 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games during the 2022-23 NHL Season.

With Athanasiou clearing waivers and now in Rockford, the Blackhawks become a little less deeper. Now the Hawks are carrying 13 forwards, with Ilya Mikheyev being the latest healthy scratch from head coach Luke Richardson.

It will be interesting to see who the Hawks decide to call up at some point as the next man up. Could Frank Nazar, who has registered 4 goals and 11 points in 9 games with the IceHogs. get his next NHL shot? Or could a forward like Colton Dach finally get his crack at the NHL? Dach has three goals and eight points through nine games this season in Rockford.

Chicago Blackhawks fans watched with pride as Jeremy Roenick was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night. Chicago, being a historic Original Six franchise, has plenty of alums in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the list could get even longer next year.

Former Chicago Blackhawk Duncan Keith highlights a star-strudded cast of first year eligibles including Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, Carey Price and Ryan Getzlaf, to name a few.

Keith is a three time Stanley Cup Champion, two time gold medal winner, two time Norris trophy winner and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He is a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame, and it seems fitting that he should get the nod in his first year of eligibility.

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The Blackhawks were happy after their 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night, but even a handful of players spoke on some areas they need to improve on.

News from around the National Hockey Now Network:

Detroit Hockey Now: The Detroit Red Wings are going to be a little deeper in net soon with Alex Lyon nearing a return.

Montreal Hockey Now: With about a month of hockey in the books, the Montreal Canadiens have a number of players who have outperformed expectations, met expectations and unfortunately are underperforming.