There’s been a lot of talk lately surrounding Andreas Athanasiou and his upcoming contract. Last week, Athanasiou’s agent confirmed that he had a significant offer from a KHL team and was considering it. On top of this, Athanasiou remains a prime target for an offer sheet. These should light a fire under Ken Holland to get AA locked up as part of Detroit’s core going forward. But what is a fair deal for the speedy winger? Our staff discusses:

Matt Cane’s salary projection model puts Andreas Athanasiou’s contract at about $1.9 million. Earlier this summer, I projected a two-year, $2-million deal for Athanasiou, and I’m sticking with it. The 23-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance and speed the Red Wings desperately need, but his defensive game needs work. A two-year “show me deal” will help the Red Wings determine his value once he hits his prime.

Riley Sheahan played 42 games in his first multi-game season and scored 24 points. In the off-season, before the 14/15 season Sheahan was signed to a two year $1.9 million dollar contract and has since signed another two-year contract for almost $2.1 million a season and we all know how last season went.

Now you may be wondering why I’m talking about Sheahan when this is an Andreas Anthasasiou round table. Well, using Riley as an example it is more than reasonable that Athanasiou could command at least $2 million per season for two years as they had similar offensive numbers in their first years with the Wings.

Athanasiou had a good season last year offensively, he has the speed and puck handling skills that sees him bury the puck on a breakaway more often than not. He has some work to do on his defensive game but that should come as he matures as a player. My fingers are crossed that this KHL rumor is only to force the Red Wings into a deal because I think the team would miss a player like him.

Final verdict: $2 million per year for 2 years.

The NHL’s version of the Greek Freak is up for a new contract and so far negotiations have been choppy. News of Athanasiou mulling over a KHL offer is hopefully just a negotiating tactic. Low ice time and poor usage by Jeff Blashill have held his stat totals in check, but Athanasiou is a flat out difference maker when he is on his game. His speed may be unmatched in this league. On top of this, he has excellent hands and finishing abilities at such top speeds (see goals against Dallas and Pittsburgh). I’m not as worried about his defensive deficiencies as most are as I see him as an offensive specialist whose defensive issues can be masked by strong two-way line mates. He is a young goal scorer who the Red Wings can not afford to lose.

I came up with 3 comparable players based upon statistics and play style to base an Athanasiou, who is coming off of a 29 point outing, contract off of. Joonas Donskoi of the Sharks is a young offensive player coming off of seasons of 36 and 17 (in just 61 games) points. He signed a two year $3.8 million deal this offseason. Micheal Ferland of the Flames is coming off of a 25 point outing and just signed a two year $3.5 million contract. Finally, Radek Faksa is a promising young player for the Stars. He is coming off of a season where he put up 33 points and recently signed a three year $6.6 million dollar contract.

By looking at Athanasiou’s impact over the past two seasons along with comparable contracts around the NHL, I would be comfortable offering him a two year deal somewhere between $1.9 million and $2.25 million. Holland’s salary cap incompetency has made this signing much harder than it has to be, but hopefully we can see the most exciting Red Wing on the ice next season.

Personally, I’d consider a fair deal for Athanasiou to probably be a 2 year, $2 million deal. As great as his underlying numbers have been, he hasn’t proven his worth in the boxcars, which is sadly a big part of making money. However, if I were the GM of the Wings, this might be a good time to get him on a cheap, long-term deal in the $2.5-3 million range, kinda like Calle Jarnkrok’s deal. You know he’s going to be good, and you can get him for cheap, long term to help an otherwise bad cap situation. I don’t think that’s likely now, especially with the KHL being involved, but it could be a smart move.

Athanasiou’s time in Detroit has been a failure, but not of his own accord. He should be a marquee player and instead he’s pushed to the fringe by a failing, aging core that’s earned the love and respect of a bad coaching staff and a bad GM. He has been in many metrics arguably the best forward on the team or at least in the conversation. His goal scoring talents are something to be hold of. While he hasn’t consistently been in the top six he’s definitely deserved the chance.  He’s in a bit of a unique spot, and while you should be cautious of committing too much money, there’s no reason why he can’t hit 50-60 points if given the right ice time. Hit ’em with a $4 million AAV deal and ship someone out of town.