Here’s every NHL team’s player to watch break out this year

Detroit Red Wings: Andreas Athanasiou

Let’s just get this out of the way right off the top: Andreas Athanasiou is a treat to watch — which means he’s torture for coaches, what with all his dipsy-doodling and high-stakes gambling. He’s fast and he’s got guts galore to pull some of the moves that he does. He’s entertaining and you just want to root for a guy like him because you know the old school management in the NHL frowns upon his thrilling and risky play, meaning he very well might be traded by the Red Wings a week after you read this.

Sure, he needs to make his defensive play less scary so he can get time on the power play, but if he can dial down the shenanigans – you’ve got to think it’s only a matter of time before he tries the-pin-the-puck-under-the-flipped-toe-of-his-stick trick — just a tad to be entrusted with the extra responsibility, he’d be a dazzling whirlwind with the opposition down a man. And, to be frank, the Red Wings could use a little boost in the adrenaline department because Dylan Larkin can’t do it all if he’s going to be an effective leader for the team for years to come.