Blackhawks Rumors: Andreas Athanasiou Becoming Trade Candidate

The Chicago Blackhawks brought in several new players this offseason, including Tyler Bertuzzi, Alec Martinez, Teuvo Teravainen, TJ Brodie, Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev, and Craig Smith. Due to this, they should be more competitive this season.

However, when noting that they are still very much rebuilding, they are likely to sell off more assets this season. Due to this, one clear trade candidate for the Blackhawks heading into this season is pending unrestricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou.

With Athanasiou entering the final season of his contract, he could end up being a player who generates interest near the trade deadline from the Blackhawks. He has shown during his career that he can produce solid secondary offensive production when healthy, so he could addition for a playoff club looking to add more depth later this season.

Athanasiou, 30, was limited to just 28 games this past season for the Blackhawks, where he had two goals to go along with nine points. While it was a tough year for the 2012 fourth-round pick, he also had 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games for the Blackhawks just back in 2022-23. Thus, if he stays healthy this year, he absolutely could bounce back and be a solid trade chip for the rebuilding Blackhawks.