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. Today the third round begins with #1 Henrik Lundqvist vs. #4 Artem Anisimov.
Just a note: I am on vacation. The tournament posts are still going up, but I had to schedule them in advance, so the winners of the previous matchups won’t be posted in the picture until I get back next week. I am still keeping track though.
Henrik Lundqvist (Acquired – 2000 draft, round 7)
Hank is Hank. He’s a five-time Vezina Finalist, he’s won the award once. He’s been the backbone of the team, and the best goalie in the world. Not really much else to say here.
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.
So who do you think is the better Ranger, Lundqvist or Anisimov? Vote thumbs up for the higher seed (Lundqvist), or thumbs down for the lower seed (Anisimov). Voting ends at midnight tonight.
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