News Article: The Athletic's Trade Big Board

[Frk It]

Stop spreading bull****.
ONE CHL coach. He went and played for Hawerchuck and became one of the best players in the OHL.

Anonymous source says "I don't think he's Yzerman's cup of tea" and you use it to act like AA is a *****ebag?
That's ****ing ridiculous.

One coach? How about every NHL franchise passing on him multiple times before being taken in the 4th round.

He’s always been an exceptional skater and skilled. Maybe at some point just accept he has some flaws and a lot of coaches don’t want to deal with it.

Earning minutes is about more than producing. There’s what you do in practice, film, in your own end, etc....

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

What about seider?

There are players and packages we would deal Seider for.

Lidstrom is an untouchable...

Now I believe it would be extremely hard to get Larkin, Seider, Zadina, Hronek, Bertuzzi and Mantha. But they aren't likely untouchable to Yzerman. Just they would be cost prohibitive to the team inquiring.

Athanasiou seems the best piece we are willing to part with currently. I get that, he has issues but should return something decent.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

One coach? How about every NHL franchise passing on him multiple times before being taken in the 4th round.

He’s always been an exceptional skater and skilled. Maybe at some point just accept he has some flaws and a lot of coaches don’t want to deal with it.

Earning minutes is about more than producing. There’s what you do in practice, film, in your own end, etc....

I expected this defense of him though. If he has a good first couple of weeks trying harder we will hear a lot about it then too.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Also heartbreaking is AA's actual number slot here. You read that right folks, 22 and just 3 slots ahead of Green.... something about Blashill I am sure.

Right behind Sam Bennett and before Zach Bogosian

 

[ArmChairGM89]

Stop spreading bull****.
ONE CHL coach. He went and played for Hawerchuck and became one of the best players in the OHL.

Anonymous source says "I don't think he's Yzerman's cup of tea" and you use it to act like AA is a *****ebag?
That's ****ing ridiculous.

he slept with my wife!

 

[Frk It]

I expected this defense of him though. If he has a good first couple of weeks trying harder we will hear a lot about it then too.

I like Athanasiou, I just don’t get why every thread has to shift towards being about him. He is what he is at this point.

He’s another Afinogenov. Great guy to give you a shot in your arm on your 2nd line with his speed and skill.

But coaches don’t give these 1 dimensional offensive wingers big minutes. It’s just not going to happen. I’d be fine with keeping him or fine with trading him. A lot of that comes down to what kind of contract he is looking for.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I'd take a 2nd round pick for AA.

That said, he seems pretty popular in the room. He's close with Mantha and Larkin etc. More popular than with management, that's for sure.

 

[Ricelund]

I'd like to see AA traded for another player who's in a similar situation... Georgiev comes to mind. He's shown some success over a small sample size on a bad team and Shesterkin makes him expendable. I'd definitely prefer a guy like Georgiev than a lottery ticket in the second round of the draft.

 

[MBH]

One coach? How about every NHL franchise passing on him multiple times before being taken in the 4th round.

He’s always been an exceptional skater and skilled. Maybe at some point just accept he has some flaws and a lot of coaches don’t want to deal with it.

Earning minutes is about more than producing. There’s what you do in practice, film, in your own end, etc....

Athanasiou scored 37 points in his draft year and went where he should have, based on that production.

Coaches don't have much input on draft picks. Especially beyond the top 10.

 

[ShelbyZ]

It would be great for AA to get traded at the deadline and try to salvage the season.
But from Yzerman's perspective, his value is so ****ing low at the moment that I don't see how he nets anything of import.

But could it really be that low? We've seen Jurco pull a 3rd after barely playing for 2 years and Sheahan became a 3rd and a swap of 5th rounders after a historically terrible season and a pretty consistent drop in production since he'd become an NHL regular. AA has a much better resume than both of them, and surely there's a GM out there that might have a similar mindset to some Wings fans in that AA's failings this season are mostly due to his subpar linemates and the incompetence of the only NHL coach he's ever played for.

This morning I find myself thinking of the Quincey/Downey trade where Yzerman traded Steve Downey for Kyle Quincey who he in-turn flipped for a first. I wonder if we something similar? Not sure what options would be out there but no one saw that trade coming at the time either

I think that was just a pretty unique situation where the Avs either flat out didn't want to deal with the Wings or didn't want anything they were offering, and Yzerman was happy to kill two birds with one stone by netting an extra 1st and finding Steve Downie a new babysitter to help his buddy Kenny get back the one that got away.

I think Yzerman should explore using AA to try to get Georgiev from the Rangers, if they plan to move him now that Shesterkin is up.

 

[MBH]

I'd take a 2nd round pick for AA.

That's a bad trade for Detroit.
When AA goes to some other team an returns to 30-goal land and you're looking at the next Givani Smith.

Despite the hyperventilating in this thread, there's no hurry to trade Athanasiou if you're Yzerman.

The only one facing pressure is Athanasiou, who is wasting what should have been a huge contract year. He could get traded to playoff team, have a big finish and contribute in the playoffs and score himself a big contract still.

But Yzerman? Maybe, as Ricelund said, you can get Georgiev for him..
But getting a pick in the 50-60 range is just pukey.
Take a look at the expected outcomes for 50-60 draft picks before you respond.

 

[Frk It]

Athanasiou scored 37 points in his draft year and went where he should have, based on that production.

Coaches don't have much input on draft picks. Especially beyond the top 10.

He only put up 37 points because he wasn’t given minutes.... and he wasn’t given minutes because....

 

[ShelbyZ]

I'd like to see AA traded for another player who's in a similar situation... Georgiev comes to mind. He's shown some success over a small sample size on a bad team and Shesterkin makes him expendable. I'd definitely prefer a guy like Georgiev than a lottery ticket in the second round of the draft.

I agree with this 100%. AA should go in what Ken Holland would call "a hockey trade" that helps the team fill an immediate or very near future need as opposed to a draft pick/picks that'll be anywhere from 3-5 years from making a measureable impact, if they do at all. I'd also not trade AA for a winger in a similar situation since they probably need to make room for guys like Zadina/Hirose/Svechnikov/Rasmussen/Smith to compete for NHL spots for next season. Moving a winger for a winger doesn't help them do that.

Georgiev ticks a lot of boxes for the Wings, especially if he comes over for AA or AA and a minor add.

-Unless Yzerman already plans to sign a UFA or to go full Holland and re-sign Howard, they need an NHL goalie for next season
-They also need a goalie that will be around past next season when Bernier is possibly gone
-He's already shown capable of handling a #1B workload in the NHL behind a subpar D (albeit not as bad as the one in Detroit...)
-He'll be 24 in a month, and an RFA at the end of the season, so he can sign a reasonable 2 year bridge deal
-The Red Wings don't have a young goalie anywhere near ready for the NHL anyway, and at his age he still has starter potential
-They can protect him in the expansion draft since the only other goalie they currently have that's even a factor in the XD is Fulcher

Otherwise a D or a C in a similar situation could also make sense, but not sure who fits the bill there.

 

[jkutswings]

Just they would be coat prohibitive to the team inquiring.

I completely agree with your entire post. Especially about those players being coat prohibitive.

 

[GMR]

Why would he be due for a large contract? He's a minus each time he steps on the ice.

 

[Red Stanley]

he slept with my wife!

Did she complain about his questionable D coverage?

 

[ShelbyZ]

Despite the hyperventilating in this thread, there's no hurry to trade Athanasiou if you're Yzerman.

IMO, the risk would be AA continuing to slump for the rest of the year and into next year and then his value really starts to tumble.

Although probably apples to oranges considering their ages, Yzerman took a patient approach and waited for Drouin to rebound in value, so maybe he looks to do the same with AA.

The only one facing pressure is Athanasiou, who is wasting what should have been a huge contract year.

Wonder if he (and Farris) now regret not taking the reported two year $1.9M AAV Holland offered before his hold out. Would've made last season a contract year and if the production doesn't change, he's likely north of $5M right now with some term.

 

[SirloinUB]

I think that was just a pretty unique situation where the Avs either flat out didn't want to deal with the Wings or didn't want anything they were offering, and Yzerman was happy to kill two birds with one stone by netting an extra 1st and finding Steve Downie a new babysitter to help his buddy Kenny get back the one that got away.

It's interesting to me because it shows his creativity and ability to look outside the box for a deal. With Yzerman, you really get the sense that he will find a creative way to maximize the value of a guy like AA if he actually trades him.

 

[ArmChairGM89]

Did she complain about his questionable D coverage?

She said he was a “selfish player” Whatever that means.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

I agree with this 100%. AA should go in what Ken Holland would call "a hockey trade" that helps the team fill an immediate or very near future need as opposed to a draft pick/picks that'll be anywhere from 3-5 years from making a measureable impact, if they do at all. I'd also not trade AA for a winger in a similar situation since they probably need to make room for guys like Zadina/Hirose/Svechnikov/Rasmussen/Smith to compete for NHL spots for next season. Moving a winger for a winger doesn't help them do that.

Georgiev ticks a lot of boxes for the Wings, especially if he comes over for AA or AA and a minor add.

-Unless Yzerman already plans to sign a UFA or to go full Holland and re-sign Howard, they need an NHL goalie for next season
-They also need a goalie that will be around past next season when Bernier is possibly gone
-He's already shown capable of handling a #1B workload in the NHL behind a subpar D (albeit not as bad as the one in Detroit...)
-He'll be 24 in a month, and an RFA at the end of the season, so he can sign a reasonable 2 year bridge deal
-The Red Wings don't have a young goalie anywhere near ready for the NHL anyway, and at his age he still has starter potential
-They can protect him in the expansion draft since the only other goalie they currently have that's even a factor in the XD is Fulcher

Otherwise a D or a C in a similar situation could also make sense, but not sure who fits the bill there.

Yes. Get me Georgiev for AA and some kind of pick. I'd be behind that 100%. Georgiev is good and an upgrade at a position of need, so you're not losing by dealing AA.

 

[Henkka]

if Yzerman really wants to trade AA that's another reason Blashill should be long gone by now

it feels like a mistake to trade him before seeing how he does under a real coach

Interesting logic. Jeff Blashill developed him to be 30 goal scorer, but when he doesn't score it's all Blashill's fault.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

I don't understand what's the fixation with trading AA one year removed from an 30 goal season ( first time we have done that in ten years). Is he flawed yes but everyone is on this roster. I am not willing to just give away a RFA 25 year old player that has shown he can almost lead an NHL team in scoring...

 

[Ricelund]

I don't understand what's the fixation with trading AA one year removed from an 30 goal season ( first time we have done that in ten years). Is he flawed yes but everyone is on this roster. I am not willing to just give away a RFA 25 year old player that has shown he can almost lead an NHL team in scoring...

Who's saying Yzerman should "give away" AA?

 

[Run the Jewels]

I'm not sure it's even realistic, but if a team offers a 1st rounder for AA, Yzerman should probably pull the trigger without hesitation.

You'd probably have to tie it to playoff production. So probably starts off as a 2nd or 3rd rounder and then based on whether or not he hits certain agreed upon metrics the pick gets better for Detroit.

 

[Konnan511]

Also heartbreaking is AA's actual number slot here. You read that right folks, 22 and just 3 slots ahead of Green.... something about Blashill I am sure.

Right behind Sam Bennett and before Zach Bogosian

I'm dense, what does the first part mean? You may have responded to someone I blocked.