Training camp begins around the NHL, including for the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference, in just a couple of days later this week. Many teams around the league in the NHL have been looking for cap-efficient ways to add depth and veteran help to the projected rosters for the upcoming season in the 2025-26 campaign.
Andreas Athanasiou a potential PTO candidate option for teams needing to add depth and speed on offense this fall
With a few weeks left until the start of the 2025-26 regular season for the league, signing players to professional tryout offers is the most common way to add depth potentially for the upcoming season.
A handful of former Kings players, including forward Milan Lucic and veteran defenseman Jack Johnson have already signed professional tryout deals with other teams in the West for the upcoming season.
A former Kings player and an ex-30 goal scorer for the Detroit Red Wings in the late 2010s decade, winger Andreas Anthanasiou has aspirations of landing an NHL roster spot this fall.
Athanasiuo played for the Kings for two seasons in the early 2020s. He scored 11 goals and 17 total points in 28 games played in the Pacific Division in the 2022-23 season.
He scored 30 goals for the Red Wings and 54 total points in the 2018-19 season, before getting traded to the Edmonton Oilers the following year in 2020. After he scored one goal in nine games played, the Oilers released Athanasiou in 2020.
Athanasiou built his game and his playmaking skill set with speed and goal scoring on offense. He can be a high-upside player who can bring energy and speed in the open ice to a team that needs an offensive boost this upcoming season.
Heavy's Nestor Quixtan hypothesized the idea of Athanasiou "reuniting" with the Oilers for a professional tryout deal this fall and going into training camp and the preseason. Athanasiou could be a low-risk, medium-reward option for a team needing to get more offensive depth and speed for the forward lines this season.
Athanasiou played three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, including eight games this past regular season in the 2024-25 campaign. He scored one goal and one point for the Blackhawks last season in the Central Division.