Follow me on twitter Embed code for hockey buzz
If you missed it, here is Yzerman’s interview with Ken Kal. At 11:27 he begins talking about the trade deadline and expectations. Well worth the watch
Earlier today Ek posted that talks of Athanasiou to Colorado may be gaining steam. Read about it here
Colorado could, in fact, be a solid landing spot for the speedy winger. The established top forwards there would certainly take some of the pressure off of A.A. to be “the guy…, and free him up more on matchups. Andreas needs very little time and space to make something happen, and could thrive in an environment where opponents have to worry about MacKinnon, Landeskog and Raantanen. Nazem Kadri could be a fantastic center for the speedy winger. The question is, of course, what would be coming back?
Athanasiou hasn’t had the career year I thought he would. His slow start has been compounded by injuries. It would be difficult for Detroit to get a high draft pick, but not impossible. If Yzerman were to take back a bad contract (Colorado doesn’t have too many of those) or there were other players involved things could get interesting. I’d wondered if Pittsburgh wouldn’t try to send Jack Johnson and a 1st over for A.A. at some point.
Assuming that it is a player trade, it would probably be a prospect. a defensive prospect in the age range of 22 - 26 would fit well into Yzerman’s comments on making Larkin/Mantha/Bertuzzi/Hronek the core going forward. To that end I may suggest Calle Rosen, Anton Lindholm or Daniel Renouf. All three are currently in the minors, 25 years old, and at a cap hit below $800K. None are guaranteed, but all fit a particular mold of low risk, short commitment trades that Yzerman tends to look at.
There is no guarantee on any of this, of course. This is simply looking at assets and trying to determine some sort of fit for the rebuilding Red Wings. A prospect plus a conditional draft pick would make sense. It’s disappointing as the speed and tenacity Athanasiou brings are simply irreplaceable. But, Yzerman knows better than anyone if re signing A.A. is going to be possible or if the player is already looking ahead at a change of scenery. That seems to be happening a lot this year all over the league.
My hope is still in some sort of deal for Puljujarvi but it sounds like Montreal is going to be the team to beat for that acquisition and closer to the draft. I trust Yzerman’s asset management and negotiation skills. Joe Sakic rarely finds himself on the wrong end of a trade, so this negotiation should be interesting. It may also bring other suitors out of the woodwork to ante up the offers. Pittsburgh, Carolina and Edmonton are still teams I’d keep an eye on. Buffalo as well. It should be a fun 5 weeks coming up!
Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the potential trade partners. Fill up the comments and have some fun!!