Anisimov played back in 2020-21 with the Ottawa Senators, however, he only played 19 games. His contract then expired and no one offered a new one for the following season.
The 35-year-old has stayed active the last 2 years, despite not playing in the NHL. In his first year out of the NHL, he went to Russia to play in the KHL with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. There, he tallied 19 points in 27 games. Last year, he played in the AHL with Lehigh Valley Phantoms and scored 19 goals and 36 points in 55 games.