Stralman picked up the win yesterday.

Stralman picked up the win yesterday.

As the offseason wears on, us and Matt Josephs of Blue Line Station (Twitter: 11Matt_Josephs8) will be running a tournament for the Best Ranger since the 2005 lockout. Yester we say #5 Anton Stralman take out #12 Aaron Voros. Today’s matchup is #4 Artem Anisimov vs. #13 Erik Christensen:

Artem Anisimov (acquired – 2006 draft, 2nd round)

Anisimov had an interesting stint in New York. After coming over to the US and skating with the Wolfpack for two seasons, registering 81 points in his second season, Anisimov made the team outright in 2009. For his three years on Broadway, Anisimov missed just three games, all in 2011-2012. In those 243 games, Anisimov put together an offensive line of 46-62-108 while bouncing between the top-six and fourth line and barely seeing powerplay time. In fact, Anisimov put together the fourth-best even strength P/60 (1.72) in his final year with the Rangers, and never dropped below 1.69. Despite impressive P/60 numbers, Anisimov never really solidified himself in the John Tortorella roster.

Anisimov’s time on Broadway came to a close when he was shipped to Columbus in a package for Rick Nash.

Erik Christensen (acquired – 2009 waivers)

Christensen is probably one of the most debated Rangers post-lockout. When he was acquired off the scrap heap from Anaheim in 2009, he was immediately inserted on the top line in an attempt to find chemistry with Marian Gaborik. The chemistry was hit-or-miss, with the hitting looking spectacular and the missing failing an equally spectacular fashion. Like Anisimov, Christensen bounced from top-six to the fourth line, but eventually found himself a healthy scratch due to inconsistent play. All told, Christensen played 132 games with the Rangers, putting together a line of 20-38-58 in the process.

Christensen was later shipped to Minnesota (with a 7th round pick) in exchange for Casey Wellman. Last season, Christensen played with Prague Lev of the KHL. The Rangers eventually sent Wellman to Florida for a 2014 5th round pick. In essence, the Rangers traded a scrap heap pickup and a 7th for a 5th. Not exactly a terrible return.

So who do you think is the better Ranger, Anisimov or Christensen? Vote thumbs up for the higher seed (Anisimov), or thumbs down for the lower seed (Christensen). Voting ends at midnight tonight.

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