Rumor: Three destinations and trade targets for Wings’ Athanasiou

It’s now October 15th and Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou is still nowhere close to an NHL rink. The restricted free-agent is still without a deal for the 2017-18 season and, if reports are to be believed, he won’t be receiving another offer from Wings’ GM Ken Holland. The team’s previous offer, two years at $1.9 million per year, is a take it or leave it proposition.

But one Red Wings insider, WingsNation.com blogger Ian Burgess, makes the case for the team to close the book on Athanasiou by shipping his rights to another team. In his latest article, Burgess lists potential landing spots for the talented speedster and takes a look at the potential return.

Let’s start with the Ottawa Senators. While the Sens may bristle at the idea of moving a top prospect like Thomas Chabot or Colin White for Athanasiou, might they move Logan Brown?

Next, Burgess also makes the case for the Wings to sniff out a deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Who could they offer up in a deal? How about first round pick and former Windsor Spitfires forward Gabe Vilardi? He may be tough to pry away from LA, but it’s worth a shot.

Finally, could the Wings make a deal with the goal-starved Montreal Canadiens? The Habs don’t have many prospects to offer up but former 3rd overall pick Alex Galchenyuk seems to perpetually be on the trade market. Is there a fit here? Maybe a change of scenery could help both parties?

Whether or not Athanasiou is traded to one of the three team mentioned above or not remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the relationship between the player and the organization has reached a point such that all trade offers should be considered.