Oct. 19--In Saturday's Blue Jackets-Blackhawks game, one of the players dealt in a big trade between the two teams this offseason gave a little payback to his former team by scoring the first goal of the night.
It wasn't former Hawks winger Brandon Saad.
Instead it was former Blue Jackets center Artem Anisimov, one of the two main pieces of the deal that sent Saad to Columbus in a surprising trade just before free agency began July 1.
Anisimov notched his second goal of the season Saturday on a nice backhand play in front of the net as the Hawks cruised to a 4-1 victory.
With young winger Marko Dano spending time in Rockford, Anisimov represents the only piece of the Saad trade contributing to the Hawks.
Anisimov's career in Chicago began when he was awoken in the middle of the night with a phone call telling him about the trade.
"It ruined my sleep," Anisimov said. "I started thinking about it. ... It was during the night because I was back in Russia and it was a little bit of shock."
Then there was another call the following night, one that came as an equal shock -- the Hawks wanted to sign Anisimov to a long-term extension. Anisimov had no idea the Hawks thought so highly of him. General manager Stan Bowman said after the trade Anisimov was a player he had wanted to acquire for years.
"That call ruined the second night of sleep," Anisimov said.
When he cleared the dust from his eyes, Anisimov inked an extension that will keep him a Blackhawk through 2021.
Anisimov is finally getting settled in Chicago. His wife and two children were scheduled to move to the city on Sunday, giving him some much-needed peace of mind.
Anisimov has been centering the Hawks' most productive line with wingers Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. Anisimov helps to translate on the ice for Panarin, a fellow Russian native who speaks little English.
Anisimov's eyes lit up when talking about his linemates.
"I really like this line. It's two skilled guys," Anisimov said. "I'm the centerman. I just need to give them the puck."
Coach Joel Quenneville has liked what he has seen from Anisimov.
"He's playing with two special players and I think with his thought process on both sides of the puck, he positions himself well," Quenneville said. "He sustains a lot of pucks. He's available and lets the other guys do their thing as well."
Anisimov is the big-bodied second-line center the Hawks have been lacking for years, but that's now a need the Hawks hope they have filled for years to come.
chine@tribpub.com
