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Blackhawks Veteran Most Recent Example of Growing Trend

The Chicago Blackhawks were the latest team to place a veteran player on waivers .

Jacob Punturi

Oct 11, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andreas Athanasiou (89) during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andreas Athanasiou (89) during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images / Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Blackhawks made a surprising move recently, placing 30-year-old forward Andreas Athanasiou on waivers. The veteran winger is in the second and final season of his current contract with the team, but it appears he won't be finishing out his contract in Chicago.

With the Blackhawks sending Athanasiou to the American Hockey League, it continues a growing trend around the NHL. Veterans all around the league with various lengths remaining on their deals are being demoted to the AHL this season.

And it's not just a few examples, it's continuing at a rate that suggests a philosophical change across multiple organizations. In years past, veterans were the unlikeliest of candidates when it came to the waiver wire. Veterans with term remaining on their contract were virtually untouchable.

But the times have changed in the modern NHL. The loyalty that used to come with a certain salary number or contract length has dissolved into a more fluid model.

It's what led to Athanasiou, a veteran with two 20+ goal seasons and seven 10+ goal seasons in his career, is likely to be out of the NHL just two seasons after scoring 20 goals and 40 points for the Blackhawks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs joined in on the fun as well recently. After acquiring veteran puck-mover Matt Benning as part of the trade return for Timothy Liljegren, the Leafs made it clear that they wanted to quickly move the 30-year-old defender. After no suitors emerged, the team bit the bullet and placed him on waivers despite having another season on his deal making $1.25 million.

These moves come just a few days after the Nashville Predators placed 26-year-old defenseman and former first-round pick Dante Fabbro on waivers. It was a shocking move, but Fabbro had fallen out of favor with the Predators over the last season and a half and now has a new NHL home with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

And the list goes on and on. The Utah Hockey Club sent former first rounder Kailer Yamamoto to the AHL earlier this season. The New York Rangers waived defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, a Stanley Cup winner and veteran of 365 NHL games. The New York Islanders waived forward Pierre Engvall in just the second season of a seven-year, $21 million deal.

While teams around the league grow a bit more aloof in their roster evaluation methods, we're seeing multiple surprise transactions as the season unfolds. The waiver wire especially has transformed, and what was once an area of acquiring players on the verge of being full-time NHL players is now a constant flow of solid and experienced veterans looking for their next opportunity.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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