Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, head coach Luke Richardson told reporters Monday (via Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago). Richardson also said that the Blackhawks expect winger Taylor Hall, who missed Sunday’s game against Florida with a lower-body injury, to return to practice Wednesday.
Athanasiou, 29, skated just 8:44 against the Lightning on November 9 and, along with Hall, missed the game against the Panthers yesterday. The 470-game veteran is off to a disappointing start in 2023-24, notching just four assists through 11 games and already earning a healthy scratch.
Hopes were high coming into the season that, along with Hall, Athanasiou could be a capable wingman or power-play mate for Connor Bedard as he makes his transition to NHL stardom. The 2012 fourth-round pick of the Red Wings has always struggled with consistency, but he did pot 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games for a lowly Blackhawks team last year while averaging 16 minutes per night.
Unfortunately, he’s slid down to a bottom-six role and is failing to get much of anything going offensively, although he has posted improved possession numbers compared to last season with a relative Corsi share of 3.8% at even strength. He signed a two-year, $8.5M contract extension to remain in the Windy City last summer.
Athansiou’s absence should provide more opportunity for players like Mackenzie Entwistle, who’s now expected to center the third line after averaging 10:51 per game through eight contests. The 24-year-old has notched a goal and an assist while posting a -2 rating in his third full NHL season.
Meanwhile, this is positive news for Hall, who’s dealing with his third separate injury-related absence of the young season. Hall sustained a shoulder injury in just the second game of the season and was expected to miss significant time, but he made a rushed return to the lineup after missing just five days and one game.
He played three more before reaggravating the injury, which this time caused him to miss about two weeks and three games of action. With two years remaining at a $6M cap hit, Hall has two goals and two assists in eight games as a Blackhawk.
On a smaller note, Richardson also mentioned that forward Colin Blackwell, who’s yet to play this season after undergoing sports hernia surgery last March, is getting closer to a return but “still has one more hurdle to clear.” Blackwell, entering the final season of a two-year deal with a $1.2M cap hit, had two goals and ten points in 53 games for Chicago last season.
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