Center Search – Artem Anisimov

Late last week we looked at Caps center Brooks Laich as a potential trade target for the Oilers at the center position, which is still a major hole. Tonight we look at a more appealing, but also more expensive, option in Columbus Blue Jackets’ pivot Artem Anisimov.

The Contract:

Anisimov is locked up for two more years under a more than fair contract with the Jackets. His cap hit is a very manageable $3.283 M per season, which adds some value to an already strong player.

The Jackets are not in cap trouble at all, but they have an interesting situation, as they have a number of strong center prospects pushing for time at the NHL level. The Jackets likely aren’t looking to flat out dump a center, but they could very well be enticed to ship out a guy from a position of strength to address an area of weakness.

The Player:

Anisimov is a younger player with the prime of his career still ahead of him, making him a longer-term solution to the problems at center ice for Edmonton. He’s 26 years old and is only a few years ahead of the main cluster of talent that Edmonton currently employs at the NHL level.

He’s a tall guy, standing in at 6’4”, but isn’t overly big at an average 201 pounds. That being said, he isn’t a smurf and would fit in a little bit with the Oilers recent hunt for size up front. Of course, Anisimov isn’t exactly an overly physical player, but he doesn’t get worked over.

He’s a relatively durable player too, missing only a handful of games each season, so injury concerns are a none issue with this particular player.

The Style:

Anisimov is more of a skilled center and a player that will put up offense. He’s good for around 40 points a year, so his production is exactly in line with what you would expect from a solid second line player. Put him with guys like Teddy Purcell, David Perron or Nail Yakupov and you might even see an increase in production.

He’s more of a goal-scorer than a play-maker judging by his numbers, which makes him an interesting option as a trigger man for one of Edmonton’s many skilled set up men, and an interesting option on the power-play. He scored 22 goals in 81 games this year, adding 17 assists for a total 39 points.

He also scored 11 goals in 35 games in 2012-13, 16 in 79 in 2011-12, and 18 in 82 in 2010-11. He’s been a noted playoff producer too, averaging about .50 points per game in the second season.

His Corsi numbers are in line with what you would expect playing on the teams he has. This past year, on a solid Columbus team, he posted a 50.6% mark, while in 2013 he posted a 46.2% mark on a team that struggled until the mid-way point before turning it on. He was routinely above 50% when playing for the strong New York Rangers at the start of his career.

Anisimov is a guy that is used both on the power-play and the PK too, giving Edmonton some extra options at those spots. He could be extremely valuable playing behind Boyd Gordon on the PK, a role he handled while in Columbus and New York.

The Ransom:

The Jackets are a team primed to take off in the East this season. After making the playoffs and giving the Penguins a run this past spring, Columbus has made some very good additions, starting with Scott Hartnell. The lone problem in Columbus? The Jackets could use another defender that can move the puck.

The Oilers have Jeff Petry on a solid one-year deal, and could dangle the defender and a second, lesser, asset to try and convince the Jackets to move Anisimov. That being said, in order to get this player, I believe the Oilers would have to overpay.

The Final Call:

The Oilers are no doubt on the search for another center, and Artem Anisimov is no doubt one of the more appealing options out there. No, he isn’t a sexy name or a perfect player, but he is a solid second line center that would strengthen the Oilers in a big way.

That being said, these guys don’t come cheap, and Edmonton would have to overpay to get him. Is filling the hole at center worth opening up another on defense? I’m not so sure it is.