The Edmonton Oilers have acquired Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Sam Gagner, a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick.
In Athanasiou, general manager Ken Holland gets a known quantity from his time at the helm in Detroit and the Oilers get the speedy winger they’ve needed — and captain Connor McDavid gets a potential new linemate.
Athanasiou, 25, has 10 goals and 24 points in 46 games for the Red Wings so far this season, and is a restricted free agent at the end of 2019-20.
A fourth-round pick by the Red Wings in 2012, the Woodbridge, Ont., native has racked up 83 goals and 154 points in 294 career games in Detroit.
In addition to retaining 10 per cent of Gagner’s salary, the Oilers also get forward prospect Ryan Kuffner in the deal. Kuffner, 23, has spent this season with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids where he’s tallied six goals and nine points through 32 games. The Ottawa native spent the past four years playing NCAA hockey at Princeton, finishing his college career with 75 goals and 152 points in 132 games.