Former Edmonton Oilers player called out by coach, sent packing to the AHL

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Finnegan Frost
November 11, 2024 (1:19 PM)

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Breaking news in the NHL as former Edmonton Oilers forward Andreas Athanasiou gets placed on the waiver wire.

According to reports, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed forward Andreas Athanasiou on waivers after struggling with consistency and lack of offensive production.

During hockey insider Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts Podcast, the NHL pundit made a bold claim regarding Athanasiou, and his speculation has just been confirmed by the by the organization.

«Speaking about waivers, I heard there's another name coming that's a possibility,» Friedman said. «And that's Andreas Athanasiou. He's in Chicago, he did not play on Sunday night as they beat the [Minnesota] Wild in overtime, he's only played five games this year.»
-Elliotte Friedman

During a recent interview, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson called out Athanasiou, stating that the organization will be fine without and highlighting an issue with overconfidence.

A waiver claim will not happen because of Athanasiou's $4.25M salary, so this is a direct public call out towards the player. It's rare to see a coach call out a player in such a personal manner, and that's exactly what happened here.
-Liam McCormick, Oilers Daily

Watching Athanasiou play the past few seasons has been frustrating to watch to say the least. The Chicago Blackhawks forward is widely recognized for his blistering speed, but that often masks the fundamental issues of his game.

Despite scoring 20 goals with the Hawks two years ago and 30 goals with the Red Wings in 2018-19, his lack of consistency ultimately shows he no longer belongs in the NHL.

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