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Frustration and impatience with young players who take some
time to develop is nothing new for New York Rangers fans. One of the targets for the frustration and
impatience for many fans has been second year forward Artem Anisimov. The 22-year-old center has 16 goals and 19
assists in 68 games this season, which puts him on pace for 19-23-42 which is a
very respectable second year and a 50% jump in all statistical categories. Even with those facts many have been very
willing to include him in trade talks for Brad Richards or immediately deem him
the odd-man out if Richards were to join the Rangers this summer. I know it is difficult to have patience with
young players, especially when it seems other guys are making the transition
easier, but it is time we have some for Anisimov.
I don’t see Anisimov as an expendable piece, but as an asset
that if given time and patience will develop into a solid second line center
capable of 60 point seasons. He has
already exhibited an ability to play against opposing teams top lines have done
so in large doses this season and he equated himself nicely. There is no denying that after the hot start
his game and the entire line of Dubinsky, Anisimov and Callahan dipped in their
production, but it seems in many respects the first one who got the attention
for the decline was Artem.
Today the hoopla is with Ryan Callahan, as it should be,
courtesy of his four goal game yesterday, but what gets lost in that
performance is just how well Anisimov has been playing of late and that his
offense is coming back around. Since the
passing of the trade deadline and the end to the rumors of him being dealt
Anisimov has three goals and one assist in four games. I am not here to excuse his lack of offensive
production before the deadline as solely related to the rumors, but with a
young player who already has admitted to confidence issues in the past, the
rumors can have an impact on the ice. The
key difference I see in Anisimov over the past week as opposed to before is
that he is back to aggressively skating the puck to the net. The goals he scored against Ottawa and Philly
were both on drives to the net in which he used his skill to beat the
goaltenders.
Just as impressive as those two plays were, the one that
shows the confidence was one he did not score on yesterday. In the third period, with the game well in
hand, Anisimov came down the right side on a 2-on-1 with Brandon Dubinsky and
instead of deferring and looking for the pass he drove the net looking for his own
offense. Those are the kind of
developmental things that need to be seen from Anisimov in order to continue believing
not only that the potential exists, but that he will get there.
He has not shown enough of that offensive aggressiveness
this season, at least on a consistent basis, in part because he seems so
focused on being defensively responsible.
His attention to the other side of the ice is admirable in a player of
his age and at this stage of development, and one he is not given enough credit
for by the fans. That focus does remove
aggressiveness from looking for his offense and then it snowballs back to his
confidence level. The Rangers already do
this, but mostly when players are injured, but with a player like Anisimov, who
has admitted to confidence issues in the past, maybe using him more frequently
on the penalty kill would help in terms of both confidence and focus. This is one approach that seems to have
helped without young players around the league in keeping them engaged in the
game and keeping an aggressive mentality.
There are obviously things that Anisimov must work on his
game, most notably his strength, faceoff ability and consistency on the
offensive side of the ice. The strides
he has made from year one to this season give strong hope for what the future
holds for Artem and his work ethic makes me believe that he will get
there. The consistency with offense is
something he has to learn and before he gets written off, let us remember that
Brandon Dubinsky, the team’s leading scorer this season put up nearly identical
numbers point totals to those that Anisimov is on pace for, though with less
goal scoring touch (13-28-41). Anisimov
is clearly a work in progress and it will take time and patience for him to
reach that ultimate level, but I believe it will be worth the wait when he puts
it altogether and starts playing consistently how he can in spurts right now.
Tell me what you think: Is it worth the wait?
