[Re-signing] Anisimov signs 5 year Extension with Chicago

[chuckcouples]

Andy Strickland is reporting Artem Anisimov has signed a 5 year extension with the Chicago Blackhawks.

As per twitter

[Axeman33]

https://twitter.com/kuklaskorner/sta...42748497092608

Artem Anisimov Extension With The Chicago Blackhawks: Anisimov extension with the Hawks. 5 yrs. $22.75 mil total. —… http://dlvr.it/BNf4RC

https://twitter.com/MarkLazerus/stat...42602615115776

That's a big commitment to Artem Anisimov. Five years at $4.55 million per, kicking in for 2016-17. #Blackhawks

[YzermansLegacy]

Did CBJ just create TWO traditionally fantasy-mediocre 3rd line LW's into VERY relevant fantasy guys for next year? (AA and Foligno) That Jarmo/JD Juice must be something else!

Think AA is going to be a great fit in CHI with so much talent around him. I'm not expecting a points explosion, but can see him breaking 50 consistently now in his new situation.

[metaldude26]

Going out on a limb for a guy they haven't seen if he fits. They basically gave him the money they were hoping Saad would sign for. Let's see how he does as the main replacement.

[Pengwin7]

I don't see Anisimov fitting in Chicago.

[Zorro]

This is very interesting.. Are there any other Russian's in the Chicago system??

[ultrawhiteness]

I don't see Anisimov fitting in Chicago.

no? He seems to me to be a better cut of the versions of Handzus and Richards that were semi-successful there. Big reach, skilled, defensively responsible, distributor... stick him between two skilled wingers, which they have in abundance, and you should have a pretty good line and get your value for $4.5M.

[Bass56]

This is very interesting.. Are there any other Russian's in the Chicago system??

Holy smokes, this got me looking into their team. Turns out, he's the only Russian on the active roster and that they only have 2 in all of their prospect pool;
Panarin, Artemi L
Nalimov, Ivan G

Maybe I'm forgetting one or 2 but they could very well be the team with the least Russian players IMO.

[Pengwin7]

no? He seems to me to be a better cut of the versions of Handzus and Richards that were semi-successful there. Big reach, skilled, defensively responsible, distributor... stick him between two skilled wingers, which they have in abundance, and you should have a pretty good line and get your value for $4.5M.

+/- wise... Anisimov's best season was his +12 in his 3rd full season with NYR.
It was also the season he played the LEAST at center... taking under 400 FOW that season.
He played limited center with the BJs last year too.
He can spot fill as C3 - but he's simply not an NHL C2.
I think people see his size and make assumptions that he is a good two-way player, IDK, always seems a bit slow out there to me - esp in faster NHL these days. (Decent hands though)

Handzus is a decent comparable.
If Hawks fans are truly happy with what they got out of Handzus, then yes, by all means - rejoice.

And Richards... IDK... semi-successful... 37pt C2... I don't know if that's my definition of semi-successful.
I suppose for $2m, yes, that's a victory in the "value department".

For $4+m... I'd like 50+pts and +10 if he's lining up with Pat Kane... not 37pts and +3.

CHI fans have to think... it was very fortunate that they got Brad Richards for $2m last season.
Last year, they had three of their top 6F locked in for $15m (Toews $6.5, Kane $6.5, B-Rich $2m).
Next year, they'll have three of their top 6F locked in for $24m (Toews $10.5m, Kane $10.5m, Anisimov $3m)... and then AA up to $4.5m after that.

Again - I get that Saad's RFA demands may have handcuffed them.
But the back-pats over Artem Anisimov (!!!) and a $4.55m extension is getting blown way out of proportion.

[MarmotKing]

I hope this contract will work for the Hawks.

[Zorro]

2 hours after Axe announced the details of this signing, "BREAKING NEWS" comes across the sportsnet screen.... "Anisimov Signs 5 year deal" HaHaHaHaHa, what a joke sportsnet is..

Sportsnet is 2 hours behind our boy >> Axe..

[Daydream Nation]

Very happy by this signing. Remember that the 4.5 doesn't start for another year. That's fine for a 2nd line center.

Overall, this gives the Hawks their coveted 2nd line center that they have been looking for for years. I trust that Bowman can identify the talent and project the fit. The Johnny Oduya trade and extension was met with a lot of criticism several years back and that was a great acquisition for the Hawks. In that case, Bowman projected the fit of Oduya in the Hawk's system because of his puck moving skills which were not being utilized in Winnipeg. In this case, Bowman has tried to get Anisimov for a number of seasons because he feels he'll be a great fit for the Hawks. That's all I need to hear. I don't really care about the numbers in NY or Columbus. With Kane and TT/Panarin, the points will come.

[deantime419]

Seems to be a fair price but couldn't you pay the extra mil to keep Saad?

[donpaulo]

Having watched Artem as a rookie and during his first few seasons in NY I feel he is a mixed bag.

The good points are that he skates very well, he is also big and strong. Smart defensive player,, is rarely beaten so he almost never has to back check. Actually he is almost always on the defensive side of the puck. He has a very good wrist shot, can kill penalties and is good on the wall too.

The bad point is that he has very little awareness and is often caught with his head down. Thus taking huge hits. He must have been concussed a number of times as a Ranger that I saw. He just has so much talent, yet seems to not be able to put it all together. Probably he is ideally suited to the 3rd line, but perhaps since going to Cbus his offensive game has come along to some degree ?

Overall he knows that his game is to be defensively sound. I think hawks fans will enjoy his game because he can take the defensive assignments and free up the high flying guys.

He will get freight trained at some point, the question will be how badly hurt. If he puts up 40 points and plays the full 82 games hawks fans should consider themselves fortunate.