The Chicago Blackhawks have had a good thing going the past couple years with Artem Anisimov as their second-line center. He put up career-best numbers as a netfront presence alongside a pair of superstars.
But then the Blackhawks opened training camp this week, and Nick Schmaltz began playing as the team’s second-line center with Patrick Kane. Now a few days in, this looks like an experiment that’s ready to be tried in primetime when the real games begin.
There’s a reason why Joel Quenneville is making this move right now.