Evgeny Artyukhin at Home in Anaheim

When Evgeny Artyukhin was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Drew Miller and a third round draft pick in August, it wasn’t exactly the type of news that makes the summer swing by quicker in anticipation of a new season.

Between the two of them, they’ve taken part in 209 NHL games and combined for 50 points. What more can it be than a pair of third liners seeking a clean beginning elsewhere?

Evgeny Artyukhin has looked more comfortable in Anaheim. (Photo courtesy of Ivan Makarov/ Wikipedia.)

But a closer look explains how this is a move which makes sense on many levels for the Ducks and Artyukhin. Anaheim has had a tendency of finding larger players who have the ability to turn into offensive stars.

Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan were all nurtured through the system to become who they are. Dustin Penner was introduced in the league first under Brian Burke before heading to Edmonton and Chris Pronger solidified its strong defensive stability towards a Stanley Cup.

It’s no secret. The Ducks like them big and skilled whereas the Montreal Canadiens have a preference for the latter by itself. Is that joke old yet? Well, Artyukhin fits the criteria at 6’ 5” weighing 254 pounds and he’s not going to hesitate to put it to use.

Going to the Western Conference, a place destined for more of the league’s tough guys, will eventually make the Russian’s importance skyrocket. Without trying to sound too optimistic, Anaheim seems like a squad that should fit him like a tailored suit.

Spending one year in Tampa Bay in 2006, he jumped aboard the KHL for two years before returning to the Lightning last season. While Artyukhin’s production struggles were well documented in 2009 (16 points in 73 games), so was the organization’s inadequacies at every position.

But the Ducks are different in that they are proven contenders and just one of those teams you’d rather not see on the schedule, season or playoffs. Even if they don’t defeat their enemy, they’ll take tons of energy out of them.

Massive and quick-moving, Artyukhin’s challenge is to work on creating a decent pair of hands like many of the towering forwards. The cap hit of $950, 000 on a one-year deal is a safe approach that won’t hurt the club should the results be negative.

A few two-game suspensions to note in the last few years: using Antoine Vermette as his test dummy, Artyukhin pulled the Senator center’s helmet off and battered him with it. That was the bizarre incident as the other was a knee-on-knee collision with Ville Peltonen of Florida. These types of affairs will have to evaporate if he’s to reach his full capacity.

There’s a chance he’ll just fill in as a fighter, devastating checker and a here-there offensive supporter. Obviously his height and reach work well against all scrapping challengers. The proper coaching is what can turn him into much more; a feared forward like Getzlaf or Perry—maybe not as superior however, 20 goals is a satisfactory boundary to set for himself.

Watching him speed his way towards the net, you’re almost hoping he gets the puck and does something positive with it more often. But that will require heavy work on his part. He’s got a great cast to learn from making it a challenge to look forward to.

Two goals in six games, one of which was a classic power forward finish and a plus-two rating is the way to start fresh.

Artyukhin wasn’t a natural scorer in Russia or the AHL, but the right scenery could change that in the National Hockey League. In this 26-year-old’s specific case, it doesn’t get any more right than the Anaheim Ducks.