Jeff Blashill might be ready to give deserving player a real chance.

Isn't it about time? What do you guys think?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Jeff Blashill might be ready to give deserving player a real chance.
Keystone Press

Andreas Athanasiou shows tremendous skills and assets for the Detroit Red Wings this year. The sophomore player has a record of 20 goals, 10 assists for 30 points in 72 games in the NHL only on his second year.

Elliot Friedman came back on the situation between head coach Jeff Blashill and Andreas Athanasiou in his popular 30 thoughts column.

"On Dec. 30, Andreas Athanasiou didn’t really want to talk. He was benched by the Red Wings the night before and wasn’t interested in any in-depth conversations about it"

However, advanced stats (the graph below) suggests that Athanasiou is producing at a first-line pace while being used like a 4th liner. And that's when Blashill doesn't bench him. With such goal-scoring abilities, it's a shame that Athanasiou hasn't played 60 power-play minutes this season.


The good news here is that according to Friedman, Jeff Blashill might be encline to trust him more and give him the ice time that he deserves : "Athanasiou is not on that level, but the Red Wings appear ready to give him some room. The man is a talent, but he will have to reciprocate."

Source: Sportsnet