His preseason and regular season start gave the Detroit Red Wings a much-needed boost. It also looked as though Andreas Athanasiou had turned the corner and was ready to take the next step. Then crickets.
He is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It could be simply that Andreas Athanasiou is banged up and was trying to play and grind through it. They may have shut him down knowing that the holiday break was coming, and it allowed nearly a weeks rest for the forward. It could be that the Detroit Red Wings are so banged up it is hampering his effectiveness and they wanted to give him a rest.
Let us put all of that aside for a moment. Good players find a way. The do not shrivel up and disappear when things are not going well. Andreas Athanasiou has been struggling. I am leaning towards a lingering injury that had him slowed before they shut him down.
Andreas hasn’t looked as fast in recent games. His scoring is down, and an injury and being focused on trying to fight through it can weigh on a player. He hasn’t scored a goal in his last 11 games, yet his 4 assists over that time are just not enough production for a player of his talent. Not to mention the rash of Red Wings recent injuries. That certainly does not help. That said Athanasiou needs to fight through and figure out how to regain his scoring touch.
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The reality is that Detroit needs Andreas to continue to grow, not go backwards. Injuries are a part of hockey. They are a part of any sport. The good ones overcome and find a way to hang in there and produce albeit at a slightly lesser pace.
The Detroit Red Wings need to know if Andreas Athanasiou is someone they can go forward with after the rebuild. Or if they need to cut bait and trade him for assets that will bring a player who better fits what they are trying to do as players like Filip Zadina waits for his Motown chance.
The fact is that Detroit is so banged up, and wins are hard to come by as they can no longer mask the glaring holes left from players being out. December was always going to be a rough month as the Wings schedule is brutal. That is not an excuse. It is a fact; the Red Wings December has had the making to be a long and rough road.
But, players who should be producing are struggling when they need to be stepping up. It is all part of the rebuilding process. Steps forward, steps backward, young players are learning how to grind through teammates injuries and struggles.
This is where head coach Jeff Blashill must take the lead and help the young Wings. First, he needs to get a could-be all-star forward back on track. That would be a start.