Who Do I Suggest? Artem Anisimov (Or ATeammate?)
Last week I wrote on a method of how to fix the Oilers problems on the "3rd Line" by filling out our Top 9 forwards. I followed that up the next day with an article on how well I thought Nazem Kadri would act as the solution. Since then I have taken some time off over the weekend to head up to Edmonton. Today I'm back to continue this series with a look at Artem Anisimov.
Let me start off by saying that yes I know I misspelled his name last week by calling him Atem Anisimov. My bad.
Anisimov is a name that certainly jumped off the page for me. While he is certainly a star in the NHL he's not necessarily one of the more well known stars. But a star none the less. He was likely the biggest piece the Blue Jackets got in return for Rick Nash and for this reason I almost definitely should have had Columbus' first line center in the list of untouchable players from the original blog, especially considering he just signed an extension.
Since this is simply not a trade that is going to keep things short on Aninsimov. Arteem has consistently had a better relative Corsi than Corsi, indicating that he has constantly been better than the team as a whole. He has also been an effective at moving the puck from his zone to his opponents, faceoffs as well as at putting up points. Columbus isn't willing to give up this piece of their core.
The Blue Jackets have quietly been building a star studded core of players that includes, Nathan Horton, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Johansen, Marian Gaborik and R.J. Umberger along with Artem Anisimov. Now as I looked at Columbus' depth chart I noticed that the Jackets seem to be building the Top 9 that I have so desperately wanted in Edmonton. Cap Geeks depth charts for Columbus show Nick Foligno and Mark Letestu 3rd at left wing and center respectively. Whether this is their intent or not. Letestu is a guy I would love to see in this position in the Oilers lineup.
Mark Letestu
Mark Letestu is a player that is just beginning to hit his stride in the NHL, posting production levels that would replicate 36 points in a full season, including a pace that would put him over 40 points/82 games over the last two seasons. Letestu is not the best player in the world when it comes to Zone Differential however, given his production levels and the fact that he has been over 50% in the circles in each of his 6 NHL seasons, I think Letestu would be a safe bet to target in a trade that would send some prospects/picks the other way.
While Letestu has struggled in the department of Zone Differential this isn't necessarily a stat to be unexpected with a player starting in the offensive zone the majority of the time. Like in turnover, where you must have the puck to give up the puck; you must also start in the zone to give up the zone. To determine Letestu's possession abilities it is a safe bet to look at his Corsi in this scenario. Mark has consistently posted positive Corsi numbers save for last season where he played on a streaky Blue Jacket team. Letestu has even been in the double digits of Corsi in 4 of 6 NHL season. While this can be attributed to a small sample size it is an impressive stat never the less.
The Verdict
While Aninsimov is likely untouchable, the Oilers may want to look at attempting to acquire Mark Letestu from the Columbus Blue Jackets. While he too was recently signed to contract extension I'm not sure that the Jackets will consider him as a part of their core like they do other players and he may be available for a package of prospects and picks. It may require a player such as Marincin going the other way but I'd say it's a safe bet to make such a trade. Letestu is a small cap hit and would look great playing with the rest of the young fire power in the Oilers Top 9. One thing that's for sure though is that if the Blue Jackets keep these players, they look good to be an excellent team this year. They have a high flying Top 9, a solid defensive core with the likes of Fedor Tyutin, Jack Johnson, the possible emergence of Ryan Murray, and the experience of James Wisniewski. Add that to the anchor provided by Vezina Winner Bobrovski in net and the Jackets look like they're turning things around in a hurry.
Thanks for reading! I'm hoping to have more posted this week on potential fits for the Oilers up later this week.
