When I first heard the news of the Chicago Blackhawks traded Artem Anisimov to the Ottawa Senators, it was a head scratcher. Then it’s an even swap for a guy who only scored 14 goals in the last two seasons. My reaction was, “What are the Blackhawks trying to accomplish? Plus it’s a swap of offensive players when we the Blackhawks, need help on defense. Maybe another goalie to go with the unpredictable Cory Crawford with his battles with concussions. Then the thoughts of when the Blackhawks got rid of Artemi Panarin, an up-and-coming superstar of the NHL, came racing inside my mind. What does Zack Smith of the Senators offer, that Anisimov does not?

The first thing about this trade is, it is a salary dump for the Chicago Blackhawks. This is not a new thing for the Hawks either. They are paying their core of the past, some big money still from winning those Stanley Cups. They have no trade clauses. Some of them are not pulling their own weight. Some of them are ageless. This trade gives the Blackhawks 1.3 million to work with. This money can help them keep restricted free agent, Brendan Perlini. Perhaps money left over can go into more moves to improve the depth of this roster.

They look like they are trying to go a different direction with their roster this season since they missed the playoffs again. Toughness might be the ONE GOAL this season. Reacquiring Andrew Shaw. Now adding a physical type of player in Zack Smith. Zack gets in on the forecheck in his game. He is terrific with the face off. Career-wise he is at 50.7% percent while Anisimov is at 45.9% on face off battles. Zack Smith played his whole career in Ottawa as he was the 3rd pick in 2008. Zack tallied 9 goals with 19 assists last season. In his career he has 94 goals with 99 assists in 612 games.

Artem Anisimov came to the Hawks in the 2015-16 season. He is 31 years old. He scored 20 or more goals for the Black Hawks in 3 out of the 4 seasons playing in Chicago. Artem’s best season was the 2016-17 season where he notched 22 goals and dealt out 23 assists. Last season when the team was an offensive juggernaut, he only had 15 tallies. He did have 23 assists. Is it safe to say Artem Anisimov’s play is on the decline? Numbers don’t lie, but playing on different lines can make your numbers explode off the charts or drop like a ton of bricks.

This move does many things for the Blackhawks. Obviously it frees up salary and gets you money you need to spend in other areas. Trading Artem Anisimov when he has a higher ceiling point to get you something in return is huge. With the emergence of Dylan Strome, he could be the X-factor that makes people forget about Artem Anisimov. I think Zack Smith can offer the team more versatility. In the 2015-17 season, Zack Smith tallied 14 goals playing with a better line that season, his far best year in his career. His numbers could go up playing with Toews or Kane. The thing the Hawks have lacked over the years is toughness. Getting guys like Andrew Shaw and now Zack Smith that can play hard nose hockey and do the little things. These guys can create some magic on the ice and pick the puck away from their opponents. Give the big dogs more opportunities and more shots on goals. Artem Anisimov was a nice player to have, but I think the Blackhawks have too many of his type. Now let’s hope the team can shore up things on the defensive side.