It was announced earlier today that Andreas Athanasiou will be out 1-2 weeks with a knee sprain. The young forward has been dynamic in his time with the team and will be undoubtedly missed. Anthony Mantha was called up as a replacement for Athanasiou, will he be able to fill a similar role?

Athanasiou is tied for the team lead with four 5v5 goals this year. While his playmaking ability leaves something to be desired, every time he is on the ice he has to be closely monitored. His game is growing at a rapid rate and makes for an easy fan favorite.

It isn’t completely clear when Athanasiou got injured but this short clip may give an indication of the possible timing.

The awkward collision and the slow movement towards the bench could mean he was injured on this play.

Athanasiou’s replacement while he is out will be Anthony Mantha. Mantha has maintained a point per game pace in the AHL and could’ve started out in the NHL out of training camp. Both players are electric with the puck on their stick, this call up makes a bunch of sense from an offensive perspective.

Once Athansiou returns it could mean Mantha is sent back down. Hopefully if they are smart they can keep both up and experiment with both of them in the lineup. The normal firepower is lacking in the Wings lines, these two could be a duo that dominates the league for years to come.