The Blue Jackets announced earlier today that they’d agreed to terms for center Artem Anisimov on a three-year contract extension. Anisimov had been a restricted free agent. Terms were not disclosed by the team, but TSN is reporting it’s a three-year deal worth $9.85 million, which would be a $3.283 million cap hit.
“Artem is a big part of our team and we’re very pleased to sign him to this extension,” said Kekalainen. “He’s an extremely dependable two-way center with a dynamic skill set and we think he will be a key contributor to our club in the coming years.”
Anisimov, notched 18 points (11G, 7A) in 35 games last season. He was best on the team in even-strength goals (10), shootout goals (4) and shooting percentage (16.2), while finishing third in faceoff wins (249) and tied for third in blocked shots by a forward (24).
Anisimov’s signing leaves only one large domino left for the Jackets (amongst several smaller ones, of course): RFA goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. According to Cap Geek, this move leaves the Jackets with $15.2 million in available cap space going into free agency and the draft, as well.