"The call to Anaheim wasn't very urgent"

This KHL season was the best in the career of Ak Bars Kazan striker Artyom Galimov. Previously, the 26-year-old hockey player's highest achievement in the regular season was 23 (13+10) points in the goal+pass system. And last season, he scored 59 (35+24) points in the regular season and 7 (2+5) in the playoffs. In addition, Galimov produced the best performance indicator (+35), for which he received a special prize at the KHL season closing ceremony on May 29.

In 2020, Artyom was selected in the fifth round of the NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. There were rumors in the spring that he would go there after the season. But on June 1, Galimov extended his contract with Ak Bars for a year and will remain in Kazan for the next season. In an interview with Izvestia, he told how he improved his performance, spoke about the trust of the head coach of the team Anvar Gatiyatulin, and also explained his doubts about the transfer to Anaheim.

— How did you become the most useful player of the season in the KHL?

— Thanks to my teammates for changing on time during the match, and I jumped on the ice, scored goals with me, and I rejoiced and returned back to the bench.

"Is it that simple?"

— Of course (smiles).

— But seriously?

— I don't know. Apparently, our team played well defensively and offensively in equal formations. Here, the "plus or minus" indicator does not take into account the goals in the majority. So our team scored a lot in equal squads, plus we had goals and were outnumbered — there were quite a lot of them. I would like to thank my teammates for creating the conditions for all this.

— What made last season in the KHL so breakthrough for you?

— Due to the trust of the coaches and the management of Ak Bars. They believed in me, trusted me with playing time. I helped them as much as I could, and they helped me. The head coach of Ak Bars, Anvar Rafailovich Gatiyatulin, told me before the season what was expected of me. I tried to do it and moved forward calmly. I think I met his expectations. And thank you to Anvar Rafailovich for believing in me, giving me playing time, including most of it. This allowed us to open up.

— Have you been persistently called from overseas lately?

"Not very forcefully.

— How much contact did Anaheim have after 2020, when they selected you in the draft?

— I contacted you once, but not persistently, to put it in your words. I've never been there since the draft, and there hasn't been such close contact from them either.

— Is there a high probability of going there in the future?

— It's hard to say. There are many factors on which it depends.

"The guys here are hot, and the goalies in particular."

Hockey player "Torpedo" Dmitry Kagarlitsky - about the results of the team in the regular championship of the KHL and the victory over a rival in the fight for the playoffs

— Do you need a more specific interest from Anaheim, with a guarantee of playing time?

- yes. Still, it makes no sense to go there just like that, to leave for the sake of leaving, in order, for example, to be in the fourth tier.

— Is the fourth link not yours?

— I'm still not a checker, not a defensive player. And I don't have the size for a fourth flight.

— Doesn't it feel like Anaheim has been in such a state in recent years that it's not difficult to break into the top 6, the first two links?

"Maybe." But still, no one will give guarantees here. So let's see what happens next. Maybe in a year something will become more clear. In any case, it's also interesting to play for Ak Bars. The club has given me a lot, and I want to help him. Kazan should always claim victory in the Gagarin Cup. I think the team has a chance of that next season.