The Artie Party is back, as the New York Rangers announced they have signed forward Artem Anisimov on a professional tryout agreement, and he will join the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack immediately.
Anisimov, now 35, was the Rangers' second-round pick (No. 54 overall) in the 2006 NHL Draft, and made his NHL debut on Broadway in 2008-09. He played 244 games with the Rangers over parts of four seasons, scoring 46 goals and notching 62 assists, before being dealt to Columbus in the Rick Nash deal in July 2012.
The Russian sensation has played in 771 games with the Rangers, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, and Senators in his career, notching 180 goals and 196 assists, but has not played in the NHL since 2020-21.
Anisimov spent 2021-22 in the KHL, playing 27 games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in his hometown, and last season, he appeared in 55 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers' AHL affiliate, scoring 19 goals with 17 assists.
He will immediately return to the NYC rivalry, as well, as the Wolf Pack's next game is Wednesday in Bridgeport against the Islanders in the latest installment of the "Battle of Connecticut.'