Blackhawks Extend Newly Acquired Artem Anisimov With 5-Year Deal

(CBS) After trading budding star winger Brandon Saad to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday afternoon, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman expressed the desire to lock up the newly acquired 27-year-old forward Artem Anisimov for the long term.

He did just that Wednesday morning.

The Blackhawks extended Anisimov with a five-year, they announced, and it's reportedly worth $22.755 million, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. The deal will kick in for the 2016-'17 season, meaning he's be locked up through summer 2021 at an average annual value of 4.55 million. Anisimov has just shy of a $3.3 million cap hit in 2015-'16.

Anisimov had 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 52 games for Columbus last season, and Chicago hopes he can fill its second-line center spot in the long term.

"It's someone we've been chasing for a long time," Bowman said Tuesday.