Think about this from Athanasiou's perspective.
You're a young, cocky forward, who loves to be flashy on offense, and would just as soon let defensive responsibilities go by the wayside. You've butted heads with the coaching staff on multiple occasions, and now the front office is making you an offer that you think is a tad low.
I see three scenarios that would be attractive to me:
1) I play for a championship caliber team. Maybe they let me be the niche scorer that I am, or maybe they ask me to play more defense than I'd prefer, but either way, we win a ton of games, and have a shot at a Stanley Cup.
Verdict: Detroit isn't even MAKING the playoffs, let alone doing any damage in them. This one's out the window.
2) I play for a team that, win or lose, lets me focus on what's most fun for me: being a human highlight reel, and not caring much about backchecking or other two-way play.
Verdict: The Wings have a coaching staff that would prefer to skate 4 lines of Luke Glendening out there. Strike two.
3) I might not like the team, or the style, or the win/loss record, but I get paid boatloads of money to play in the NHL. Make it rain, baby!
Verdict: I'm not saying the kid deserves more money, but it's pretty clear that Detroit isn't spending a dime more than they have to, and that they have AA locked in at a $2M cap on value.
So if the team is going to continue to stink, and going to continue to ask me to play defense, and going to continue to pay me less money than I can get elsewhere...
...what about Detroit is better than goofing around in the KHL for a few years? If I'm AA, even if they never trade my rights, there's no incentive to stick around and suffer through changing my game, just to keep losing either way.
The Wings are going to keep losing players that they place in the 'selective discipline' category, because, other than a new arena, they no longer have anything that's a draw to play here.
So you go into negotiations as an RFA without arbitration rights and ask for a big AAV salary on a 1-2 year deal because of two guys that got paid on long-term UFA contracts, the GM laughs until tears stream down his face, then he offers fair value. What you gonna do? Go to Russia?If I were on a team where Helm and Abdelkader are making ridiculous money, I'd be asking for more than I'm probably realistically worth also.
So you go into negotiations as an RFA without arbitration rights and ask for a big AAV salary on a 1-2 year deal because of two guys that got paid on long-term UFA contracts, the GM laughs until tears stream down his face, then he offers fair value. What you gonna do? Go to Russia?
He's an RFA. He doesn't get to make demands. And the antics hes playing will hurt him in the future too. This is becoming a track record of him deciding he is better than everyone else and deserves to makes demands. Add to that bolting to Russia hurts his arbitration case. Instead of having 3 1/2 years of continuous NHL play to make his case, he likely comes back to a one year contract and a team that has no incentive to allow him to increase his stock.
As for the KHL? Well, the fact that Russia, outside of St Peterberg and Moscow is ****, there is a lot of crime, quality of life isn't nearly as good, and the league is closer to the AHL than the NHL, nothing!
He's an RFA. He doesn't get to make demands. And the antics hes playing will hurt him in the future too. This is becoming a track record of him deciding he is better than everyone else and deserves to makes demands. Add to that bolting to Russia hurts his arbitration case. Instead of having 3 1/2 years of continuous NHL play to make his case, he likely comes back to a one year contract and a team that has no incentive to allow him to increase his stock.
As for the KHL? Well, the fact that Russia, outside of St Peterberg and Moscow is ****, there is a lot of crime, quality of life isn't nearly as good, and the league is closer to the AHL than the NHL, nothing!
if I'm AA, I'd sooner play out my career in the KHL than in Detroit.
To everyone else: the market shows players in the same category as AA are getting 1.8-2.1 million a season for 2-3 seasons. 1.9 for 2 seasons is exactly what he is worth. The way the CBA is constructed players like him have no leverage. It was designed this way to give teams more control over players. The first step to righting this team isn't to blow that, instead it is to use players with those contracts to lower costs.
Yeah, sureThe team is now in a place where, more often than not, players of any potential would sooner leave than stay. It's just the overpaid grinders that will stick around.
1. Going to the KHL doesn't help AA get to a better NHL team faster.Okay, so let's say he's seeking the top end of that at $2.1 mil. Not only can the Wings not float 1.9, they can't do 2.1. What difference does any of this make?
He sees a team littered with terrible contracts, so I'm sure he thinks he should get the max too. Since the team can't afford either, why agree to the low end, let alone a huge discount so Holland can escape the mess he's made for one more year? What indications does he have that the cap situation will get better? The proposition of playing for a perennial loser (weighed down with rich dregs) might make someone more inclined to be difficult in an effort to go elsewhere. I'm sure other teams around the league have taken notice of Holland's cap madness and AA's unwillingness to do Kenny a solid by taking a value deal.
1. Going to the KHL doesn't help AA get to a better NHL team faster.
2. Being "difficult" doesn't help his reputation around the league and could hurt his value once he reaches FA status.
3. Wings cap situation should have little or no bearing on AA's decision to sign or not sign an offer. Doesn't matter if Holland offers AA 10 million per year. Yeah we can't afford it right now, but it's not AA's job to calculate the cap and make it work. The cap situation doesn't matter. If AA wants more money he should sign the shortest possible deal that brings him to arbitration and play his heart out until he can get a court to set a contract.
Didn't hudler balk at kenny's RFA offers and run to the KHL?
That worked out pretty well for him.
I am seeing a pattern emerge however among a number of our young players and mgmt, at some point the common denominator must be addressed.
Brett Hull?
1) I never mentioned the KHL... so...
2) Reputable character might not be something he cares about. Maybe all he cares about is not being part of a dumpster-fire. Any argument for or against is pure speculation, so none of us can accurately speculate; I just wanted to toss it out there.
3) Why do players take pay cuts to play for teams that have a good shot at winning the cup? That right there destroys your contention. The cap situation in Detroit absolutely plays a role in his contract. The record shows that it's putrid, and the record will probably continue to show that they are one of the worst teams in the league, in part, because of the cap situation.
I really don't know why it's so hard for folks to come to reason here. Detroit is an expensive loser. Some players might think that any out, no matter the cost, is worthwhile. The facts simply don't support your assertions here, no matter how many times you re-word your argument.
16 assists in 101 games.
Not sure where you're going with that, but...
Larkin has 19 assists in his last 112 games.
That's a lot of speculation.
And I may have missed it, but could anyone explain to me the theory that leveraging the KHL would have AA end up on a different NHL team sooner than if he acted like a normal person?
If Larkin holds out for an above average deal next year and threatens to leave for the KHL, I'd probably be bringing up numbers like that as well.
It's on AA to put forward the argument that his case is an exceptional one. 16 career assists for a one dimensional winger as a RFA is pretty big handicap to start with in that case.
If I were on a team where Helm and Abdelkader are making ridiculous money, I'd be asking for more than I'm probably realistically worth also.
What if Helm and Abdelkader are great characters, lead our kids by example, bring good team spirit on the lockerroom, and Athanasiou is the exact opposite?
Either way, UFAs can't be compared to RFAs, but when player hesitates to sign a fair offer, there's something more wrong on this situation. It probably is the man in the mirror.
I can't believe people are still talking about a player that is a nonfactor on the ice unless he's going coast to coast. And he most definitely isn't a highlight reel, saw someone suggest it. Crosby, Malkin, Patty Kane, McDavid, Laine, etc are highlight reels. AA is a flash in the pan. If he wanted to learn how to play the game of hockey he could amount to a whole lot more, but from what we've read it certinaly doesn't look that way.