Artem
Anisimov an excellent sophomore season with the New York Rangers last year
watching his production go from 28 points (12G, 16A) to 44 points (18G,
26A). Anisimov found a home playing with
Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan on the team’s best line last season. The performance of that trio led to lofty
expectations for all three entering the season.
Anisimov showed in training camp/during the preseason that he has put in
the work to get stronger and work on the flaws in his game, but the results
were not showing early.
His
individual play was good, however the line was struggling to produce anything
on the scoreboard. Callahan and Dubinsky were not playing their
typical style of game and that even more than the lack of scoring was what
cause coach John Tortorella to start tinkering with the line. Anisimov was the victim of the line being
broken up because Tortorella had seemed averse to putting him with Gaborik on
the top line. Once Anisimov fell out of
the top six he ended up being pushed to the fourth line.
Anisimov
continued to work and finally got his first goal of season Monday against San
Jose on a tremendous backhand shot high
over the shoulder. The work and effort Anisimov put in while waiting
for his chance to get more ice time while playing higher in the lineup has now
paid off. The most recent groin injury
to Wojtek Wolski afforded him that opportunity and Anisimov is playing like he
has no intention of going anywhere from his spot alongside Derek Stepan and
Marian Gaborik. In two games the
23-year-old forward has four assists and is showing excellent chemistry with
both Stepan and Gaborik. The four points
for Anisimov have him third on the team with eight points thus far (1G, 7A) and
as long as he continues to play at the level he has been at the last two those
numbers are going to continue to rise.
The
constant improvement in all facets of the game that Artem Anisimov continues to
make seems to get overlooked by the media and the fans of the New York
Rangers. Last year the talk centered on Dubinsky and Callahan for the work the line did and in the past two games it was about Stepan and Gaborik. All four of those other players deserve the attention they get, but Anisimov should get some credit for what those lines accomplished as well. Each year Anisimov adds to his game and the
23-year-old has become a player more than capable of hanging with top line
players on both ends of the ice. Add a quicker release to his added strength, good skating, quality vision/passing and lethal shot off the rush and you have a force to be reckoned with. The
consistency in production on the scoreboard is still coming, but there is
nothing about the development of this young Russian forward that should be
taken for granted.
