RETURN OF THE BREAD MAN

RETURN OF THE BREAD MAN-WHY AN ARTEM ANISIMOV TRADE MAKES SENSE FOR THE BLACKHAWKS

Artem Anisimov celebrates in a game against the Ottawa Senators

Artem Anisimov seemed like a great fit, playing alongside Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin on the best line the Blackhawks have had in a while. He tallied a career-high 45 points in 64 games during the 2016-17 season. Then, the Blackhawks traded Panarin for Brandon Saad in an attempt to shake up the roster after being swept in the 2017 playoffs. Kane saw a decline in points the following year but bounced back this year, scoring a career-high 110 points. Unfortunately, Anisimov couldn't say the same. He was moved down to a bottom-six role with the emergence of Dylan Strome, who had instant chemistry with old juniors teammate Alex DeBrincat. After Strome, who had never reached double-digits in points with the Arizona Coyotes, was traded to Chicago, he had 51 points in 58 games. He looks like a formidable second-line center, and with Jonathan Toews also hitting career highs this year, and they've also got David Kampf, who could serve in a bottom-six role.

This year, the Blackhawks are also (finally) in a situation where they aren't cap-crunched. They're projected to have around $20 million in cap space this season. Add in contract extensions for Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome, which the team is going to want to get out of the way sooner or later, and the Blackhawks have around $7 million to spend this offseason. There aren't many free agents the Blackhawks need to bring back besides Brendan Perlini and Gustav Forsling as well as David Kampf. Their combined contracts will likely cost the team under $3 million. The Blackhawks have around 5 or 6 million to spend over the summer. Stan Bowman has said he's going to be aggressive and go for a big free agent. They've also got the third overall pick in the draft. Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Alex Turcotte, and Trevor Zegras have been linked to the Blackhawks. They all play center. Bowen Byram has also been connected to Chicago, but this seems less likely because the Blackhawks have Henri Jokijarju, Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, and Nicholas Beaduin coming up.

The point is, after the draft, the Blackhawks are likely to have depth at center. They're also gonna have depth at defense in a couple years. A high-scoring winger to play on the first line would be a huge boost to a team that wants to make another championship run sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Anisimov sits at a 4.5 million cap hit for the next two years. Not an ideal situation for an aging center who doesn't look like he's going to have a meaningful role.

Enter Artemi Panarin. The Blue Jackets are extremely unlikely to resign Panarin, and he'll command 9-10 million on the open market. The Blackhawks should trade Anisimov back to Columbus in exchange for Panarin. They'll then be able to talk contract extension with Panarin before the free agency frenzy even begins on July 1st. Panarin wants to play for a contending team in a big market. What better place than Chicago and a reunion with buddy Kane? A top-six of Kane-Toews-Panarin and DeBrincat-Strome-Saad looks beautiful. A Panarin trade would create a promising future for the Blackhawks..