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Philipp Kurashev

Sharks Sign John Klingberg, Philipp Kurashev, Adam Gaudette

July 1, 2025 at 2:59 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

The Sharks have signed center Philipp Kurashev to a one-year, $1.2MM contract, per PuckPedia. He was a UFA after being non-tendered by the Blackhawks. They have also signed defenseman John Klingberg to a one-year deal worth $4MM, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Additionally, the Sharks will bring in center Adam Gaudette on a two-year, $4MM contract per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. All three signings were first reported by Brennan Klak on X.

San Jose has confirmed Klingberg’s deal.

This pair of moves most notably features a pay-raise for Klingberg after he played through last season on a one-year, $1.76MM deal with the Edmonton Oilers. Klingberg didn’t sign that deal until mid-January, limiting him to just 11 games played before the end of the regular season. He recorded four points, eight penalty minutes, and an even plus-minus in those appearances — showing signs of rust after only playing 14 games of the 2023-24 season, but still able to hold up to 17 minutes a night. With his legs under him, Edmonton moved Klingberg into a nightly role during the postseason. He again recorded four points, though this time added a plus-three and one penalty, through 19 appearances.

Klingberg looked capable of the nightly role, even despite a bilateral hip surgery limiting him to just 44 games over the last two seasons combined. He’s scored 13 points in those appearances, though handled a clear-cut top-pair role pre-injury and a third-pair role after returning. A lofty price tag in San Jose could push him up the team’s depth chart on a very shallow right-shot side. He should fill a second-pairing role alongside Henry Thrun, Shakir Mukhamadullin, or Sam Dickinson. All three youngsters have the mobility to help cushion Klingberg as he looks to transition from an injury to a battered role with San Jose.

Boosting the offense will be Kurashev and Gaudette, who each filled minor roles on their NHL squads this season, though through very different paths. Gaudette is coming off of his first full season in the NHL since the 2021-22 campaign, when he played 50 games for the Ottawa Senators. He scored just 12 points that season, prompting an assignment to the minor leagues that took two seasons of strong scoring to work out of. In what was the first full AHL season of his career, Gaudette managed 51 points in 65 games during the 2022-23 campaign, split between the Toronto Marlies and Springfield Thunderbirds. He returned for Springfield last season and exploded for 44 goals and 71 points in 67 games. That was good enough to earn a call-up back to the Senators that he took full advantage of, with 19 goals and 26 points in 81 games.

Meanwhile, Kurashev took a hard fall from grace last year after managing a career-season in 2023-24. He recorded 54 points in 75 games in a top-line role with the Chicago Blackhawks that year, but tumbled all the way down to just 14 points, split evenly, in 51 games this season. The steep drop in scoring coincided with concerns about Kurashev’s two-way game, and calls for his assignment to the minor-leagues. The 25-year-old winger has shown flashes of scoring upside throughout his career, with 130 points in 317 games. He’ll look to rediscover his flash of scoring as he joins a similarly skilled-and-speedy Sharks lineup.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro-Imagn Images.

San Jose Sharks| Transactions John Klingberg| Philipp Kurashev

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Blackhawks Activate Philipp Kurashev

March 7, 2025 at 6:29 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While Chicago won’t have newly acquired center Joe Veleno in the lineup tonight against Utah, they will get another forward back.  The team announced that Philipp Kurashev has been activated off injured reserve.  He had missed the last week and a half with a hand injury.

After a breakout showing last season, it looked as if Kurashev’s stock was on the rise and that he’d be a fixture in Chicago’s lineup for a while.  After all, a 54-point season from a then-24-year-old made it appear that he could be a key cog in their top six.

But things haven’t gone anywhere near as well this season.  Kurashev has just six goals and four assists through 42 games while his -29 plus/minus rating is tied for the fourth-lowest in the league.  Instead of being a top liner like he was a year ago, his playing time is down by nearly five minutes a game while he has been healthy scratched at times.

As a result, his long-term outlook with the organization has certainly changed.  Instead of looking like a fixture for the foreseeable future, Chicago was shopping him earlier in the season and couldn’t find a suitable trade.

A pending restricted free agent, Kurashev will be owed a $2.25MM qualifying offer this summer while he’ll also have salary arbitration rights.  Considering how things have gone this year, it seems unlikely he’ll be tendered that offer so he’ll need to use this final six-week stretch of the season as a showcase for what’s likely to be his first trip through unrestricted free agency in July.

Chicago Blackhawks| Transactions Philipp Kurashev

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Blackhawks Place Philipp Kurashev On IR, Louis Crevier Recalled

March 3, 2025 at 7:01 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 6 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed forward Philipp Kurashev on the injured reserve and recalled defenseman Louis Crevier from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL (as per NHL.com). Kurashev is dealing with a hand injury, and his IR placement is retroactive to February 27th.

Kurashev is having a tough season with just six goals and four assists in 42 games. The timing for him is unfortunate as he will be a restricted free agent on July 1st and has gone from potentially signing a long-term extension to a possible non-tender candidate. A season ago, the Swiss-born center looked like a piece of the Blackhawks core as he posted career highs with 18 goals and 36 assists in 75 games. However, a big drop in his production has been due to his lack of time on the powerplay. Kurashev has gone from 221 minutes of powerplay time last season to just 20 minutes this year and has just one point with the man advantage this season compared to 19 points last year.

The Blackhawks will have an interesting decision to make this summer on Kurashev as they weigh what to do with the talented but inconsistent 25-year-old. His injury likely prevents them from dealing him before the NHL Trade Deadline and it is hard to imagine they let him walk for nothing in the summer.

Crevier returns to the Blackhawks where he has suited up in 23 games this season. The 23-year-old has three goals and an assist this season along with 47 hits and 34 blocked shots. Crevier has logged almost 18 minutes a game at the NHL level this season and Chicago has not done him any favors with their deployment starting him in the defensive zone on 68.9% of his shifts. As you would expect with a young defenseman, this has led to struggles as Crevier has been caved in on his possession numbers (37.8% all situations CF%) and has caused a lot of turnovers (26) as he’s tried to force zone exits while under pressure.

Chicago Blackhawks Louis Crevier| Philipp Kurashev

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Blackhawks Looking To Move On From Philipp Kurashev

January 21, 2025 at 8:55 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 4 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks will likely be busy before the NHL Trade Deadline, and it appears that they may look to cut ties with forward Philipp Kurashev either at the deadline or by not qualifying him in June (as per Harman Dayal and Chris Johnston of The Athletic). The 25-year-old will be a restricted free agent on July 1st as he finishes a two-year $4.5MM deal and has disappointed this season after posting a career year last season.

Kurashev posted 18 goals and 36 assists last year in 75 games while playing predominantly with Connor Bedard but has struggled this season with just four goals and three assists in 32 games. He has been a healthy scratch in 12 of Chicago’s previous 16 games and his defensive warts have been magnified by his lack of offensive success.

The shortcomings in Kurashev’s defensive game were present last season, as evidenced by his -44 plus/minus. However, those shortcomings were often glossed over due to his offensive success. This year has been a very different story as his poor defensive play has been a glaring issue anytime he has been on the ice. Kurashev and his teammates have been dominated, particularly at even strength where he has posted a CF% of 41.8%.

If Chicago opts to move on from Kurashev, a team may take a flier on him for the rest of the season, given his numbers from a year ago. What the return would be remains to be seen, but if Chicago does plan to not qualify him, they likely won’t be seeking a big return.

Chicago Blackhawks Philipp Kurashev

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Evening Notes: Blackwell, Kurashev, Broberg

December 19, 2023 at 8:01 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 5 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they’ve activated forward Colin Blackwell from non-roster status, and he will make his season debut this evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Blackwell has been sidelined since February 27th as he has been dealing with a sports hernia. Blackwell suffered multiple setbacks through the summer, his rehab process, as well as during training camp and talked at length about his frustration, but it appears that he has overcome the struggles and is set to get back on the ice.

The 30-year-old posted two goals and eight assists last season with Chicago as he dressed in 53 games in his first year with the club. Blackwell has played with five different teams during his five-year NHL career and should have plenty of incentive as he gets back into the lineup. He is set to hit unrestricted free agency next July when his two-year $2.4MM contract will be set to expire.

In other evening notes:

  • Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev will miss tonight’s game due to an illness. Kurashev is hardly the only player suffering from sickness this time of year as a lot of players have missed games due to illness recently. The 24-year-old is on pace to shatter his career high in points as he has six goals and 11 assists in 24 games this season. The native of Munsingen, Switzerland has never topped 25 points in any NHL season but should do so this year barring any unforeseen slump or injury. No word yet on a timeline for return, but the Blackhawks play twice more before the holiday break.
  • TSN Insider Darren Dreger is reporting that Philip Broberg is still expected to be a trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers, but perhaps not in the way many expected him to be. Dreger believes that Broberg could still be a central piece for the Oilers to add an impact player, but he also thinks that Broberg could become the sweetener in a deal to offload the contract of struggling goaltender Jack Campbell. Broberg has been relegated to AHL duties with the Bakersfield Condors but has been averaging over 25 minutes a night of ice time for the Oilers affiliate. Edmonton would do well to move on from Campbell, and it may cost them Broberg if they wish to do so.

Chicago Blackhawks| Edmonton Oilers Colin Blackwell| Free Agency| Jack Campbell| Philip Broberg| Philipp Kurashev

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Roster Notes: Drysdale, Pietrangelo, Kurashev, Bonino, Kochetkov

October 23, 2023 at 5:40 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 5 Comments

Although no official announcement has come from the team, CapFriendly indicates that the Anaheim Ducks have placed defenseman Jamie Drysdale on injured reserve retroactively to October 15th. Drysdale has not played in the following three games for the organization, as he has put up two assists while carrying a +2 rating.

As expected, the Ducks are not getting off to a hot start to this season, carrying a 1-4-0 record into tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, there is still plenty to be excited about in Orange County, as the team was able to sign both Drysdale and Trevor Zegras to separate three-year contracts shortly before the start of the season, as well as seeing the second-overall selection of the 2023 NHL Draft, Leo Carlsson, score a goal in his first ever professional game.

Nevertheless, even without indicating any effort to compete for the playoffs this season, Drysdale’s presence will be missed on the blue line. Thin on depth throughout the defensive core at the top level of the organization, there is an argument to be made that Drysdale represents the best of what the Ducks have to offer on defense.

Other roster notes:

  • Having not played since the second game of the season for the Vegas Golden Knights, Jesse Granger of The Athletic is reporting that Alex Pietrangelo is back at practice with the team, skating in a non-contact jersey. In the two games he has played, Pietrangelo has put up one assist, averaging nearly 23 minutes a night. Remarkably, even without the presence of Pietrangelo in the lineup, the Golden Knights are one of only three teams who remain undefeated to start the season.
  • After taking the entire summer to rehab a shoulder injury sustained towards the end of last season, Chicago Blackhawks’ forward, Philipp Kurashev, suffered a wrist injury during training camp before the start of this season, keeping him out of the lineup up to this point. With a serious need for more secondary scoring in their lineup, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports-Chicago is reporting that Kurashev is looking to make his debut for the team on Tuesday, as they take on the Boston Bruins for the second time this season.
  • Per a team announcement, depth forward for the New York Rangers, Nick Bonino, is considered day-to-day with an illness, and will not practice with the team today. In five games so far with the Rangers, Bonino has gone scoreless, primarily centering the fourth line between fellow teammates Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
  • After returning him to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL last night, CapFriendly is reporting that the Carolina Hurricanes have called goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov back up to the NHL. Suffice it to say, Kochetkov did not get off to the best start with the Hurricanes this season, allowing six goals on 28 shots in his only start against the Colorado Avalanche.

Anaheim Ducks| Carolina Hurricanes| Chicago Blackhawks| Injury| New York Rangers| Transactions| Vegas Golden Knights Alex Pietrangelo| Jamie Drysdale| Nick Bonino| Philipp Kurashev| Pyotr Kochetkov

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Injury Notes: Kurashev, Hintz, Johnston, Guentzel

October 3, 2023 at 12:50 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

Relaying a note from the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Kyle Davidson, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that forward Philipp Kurashev will be out at least another week due to a wrist injury, and will likely miss the first couple of games of the regular season. On a more positive note, even though he will miss game action, Kurashev has returned to skating for the time being.

Although injuries have not been a focal point in his young career up to this point, this will be the second time in the calendar year that Kurashev is set to miss regular season games due to an injury. In late March of last season, suffering from a shoulder injury, Kurashev would miss the remainder of the regular season, thankfully not needing surgery to repair the damage.

When healthy, Kurashev is largely projected to participate in the Blackhawks’ top-six forward group on a weak roster, and will likely factor into the middle-six once Chicago is set to contend. Last year, Kurashev played in 70 games overall, scoring nine goals and 16 assists, as well as a -32 rating. This summer, the Blackhawks added heavily to their forward core, drafting Connor Bedard, as well as acquiring Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry to surround some of their younger forward core, such as Kurashev.

Other injury notes:

  • Having yet to play in a preseason game up to this point in training camp, it has become incredibly unlikely that Dallas Stars’ forward, Roope Hintz, will participate in any exhibition games. According to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Hintz is still out of action due to an upper-body injury, and his first game of the year is going to be the Stars’ opening night matchup against the St. Louis Blues next Thursday. He will be an important piece for Dallas to get back into the lineup, scoring 37 goals and 38 assists last year, finishing fourth on the team in scoring.
  • Continuing on with the Stars, Yousuf also reports that Wyatt Johnston had a minor setback with his upper-body injury, and will miss today’s practice and preseason game against the Colorado Avalanche. Similarly to Hintz, Johnston is another forward that the Stars will need to stay healthy, as they are looking for Johnston to improve on his 24-goal, 17-assist rookie performance last year.
  • Inching his way back from offseason ankle surgery, Jake Guentzel was seen this morning wearing a full-contact jersey (X Link). For the majority of training camp, Guentzel had been seen wearing a non-contact jersey, but it is clear the Pittsburgh Penguins are confident with his recovery timeline, allowing him to fully participate in the team’s practices. Going into a massive contract year for both he and the organization, Guentzel will benefit greatly from a full season of action if he is able to be ready for opening night next week.

Chicago Blackhawks| Dallas Stars| Injury| Pittsburgh Penguins Jake Guentzel| Philipp Kurashev| Roope Hintz| Wyatt Johnston

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Oilers Notes: McLeod, Centers, Bouchard

July 31, 2023 at 8:43 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal writes that he has been hearing that the Edmonton Oilers and restricted free-agent center Ryan McLeod were closing in on a new contract, but that the goalposts might have moved. What exactly that means is unclear and Leavins doesn’t speculate in the article, however, according to Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun, the Oilers have been trying to sign McLeod to a contract with a cap hit of around $2MM and with the arbitration ruling for Philipp Kurashev, they might be looking at a higher number. Kurashev received $2.25MM in his arbitration ruling and given McLeod’s track record he has a good case for a number north of that.

Couple that piece of information with the news that Leavins believes that the Oilers could be looking to bring in some centers on PTOs before training camp and it is a development that isn’t overly encouraging for Oilers fans. However, it doesn’t change the fact that McLeod and the Oilers are set to go to arbitration on August 4th and there are no guarantees of a higher salary for McLeod. He will be pencilled into the lineup once that ruling comes down, meaning there isn’t a threat of him not being signed.

McLeod hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first three seasons in the league, but this past season was his best thus far as he posted 11 goals and 12 assists in 57 games while posting a Corsi For % of 53.8%, meaning that the Oilers were controlling the puck more than half the time McLeod was on the ice. The 23-year-old has improved in every season since he started in the NHL and could be just scratching the surface of what he can be.

In other Oilers notes:

  • As mentioned above Leavins believes the Oilers are looking at improving their center depth, and while bringing in centers on a PTO is an option, Leavins also thinks that Edmonton will look at a possible in-season trade as another solution. The Oilers won’t have a ton of cap space (if any) after they sign their remaining restricted free agents, which is likely why Leavins mentions Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens and Nic Dowd of the Washington Capitals as possible targets. Dowd has two years left on his current deal at $1.3MM while Evans also has two years remaining and is owed $1.7MM in each of the next two years.
  • Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun writes that he believes the Oilers have dodged a bullet and he doesn’t expect an offer sheet to come this late in the off-season for restricted free-agent defenseman Evan Bouchard. That’s good news for Oilers fans, but it also isn’t all that surprising given the rarity in which offer sheets are utilized. Leavins wrote today that he believes the Oilers and Bouchard are close to a deal but doesn’t give any details. Given the Oilers tight cap situation it does seem highly likely that they will sign a bridge deal with their budding defenseman which could open the door for him to sign a very lucrative extension soon should he continue to quarterback the league’s best power play. Bouchard had eight goals and 32 assists this past season in 82 games, but just 13 of his 40 regular season points came with the man advantage. In the playoffs, it was a different story as Bouchard had four goals and 11 assists on the power play in just 12 playoff games.

Edmonton Oilers| NHL Evan Bouchard| Jake Evans| Nic Dowd| Offer sheets| Philipp Kurashev| Ryan McLeod

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Philipp Kurashev Contract Settled Via Arbitration

July 23, 2023 at 2:07 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 5 Comments

Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev’s arbitration decision has been made, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The 23-year-old will receive a two-year, $2.25MM contract. The Blackhawks had filed for a one-year, $1.4MM contract, while Kurashev had filed for a two-year, $2.65MM pact.

Since this was a player-elected arbitration case, the Blackhawks had the right to choose the term of the contract upon hearing what AAV Kurashev was awarded, meaning the two-year duration of the deal was of their choosing.

Seeing as this award lines a decent bit closer to Kurashev’s value rather than the Blackhawks, it appears the arbitrator’s thought process fell more in line with Kurashev and his representatives at CAA than with Chicago. In our more in-depth breakdown of Kurashev’s arbitration situation, we outlined how Kurashev was a more challenging player to value than most others in the NHL.

Kurashev’s versatility and ability to play just about anywhere in the lineup is certainly valuable, but despite playing significant minutes last season Kurashev simply did not post the numbers one would hope such a heavily-used player would have. He scored nine goals and 25 points in 70 games, only a slight increase from the six goals and 21 points he scored last season.

We pointed to Dillon Dube’s $2.3MM AAV contract extension from the Calgary Flames from 2021 as a comparable to Kurashev’s situation, and ultimately Kurashev’s award comes just about at that number.

The deal won’t mean much for Chicago in terms of adding difficulty to their salary cap management process, as they still boast quite a bit of room under the NHL’s upper salary limit, and will likely be in the same position next year.

What this decision offers Kurashev is a significant pay raise from the $750k he made in the NHL last season, and it gives the player a two-year runway to continue to develop his game in the NHL and prove he belongs in Chicago long-term as they build towards their Connor Bedard-led era of contention.

Arbitration| Chicago Blackhawks Philipp Kurashev

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Arbitration Breakdown: Philipp Kurashev

July 21, 2023 at 2:00 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 1 Comment

Yesterday, Chicago Blackhawks RFA forward Philipp Kurashev’s arbitration hearing was scheduled, and NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis reported that the hearing went forward as the team and player could not reach an agreement on a contract.

Puckpedia notes that with Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov also reaching a full arbitration hearing without a deal, this year already features the same number of arbitration hearings as the NHL had seen beforehand since 2020. Kurashev specifically is sort of a prime candidate to have his next contract decided by an arbitrator, as his on-ice value isn’t quite so easy to pin down.

Now, the Blackhawks have more cap space than most other NHL clubs, with over $15MM in space still available. So it’s not like they need to keep Kurashev’s next cap hit as low as possible to remain cap compliant.

Instead, as The Athletic’s Scott Powers writes, since Kurashev, 23, is a player who could possibly still be on the Blackhawks when the team enters its Connor Bedard-led competitive era, the team likely has an interest in keeping his cost as reasonable as possible, since they don’t want to box themselves into overpaying for what he brings once they eventually lack cap space. (subscription link)

So while the value for some teams through the arbitration process is simply getting financial certainty on a player within a designated timeframe, that’s not important for the Blackhawks. Here, Kurashev presents an opportunity for the team to lay the groundwork for a sustainable salary cap future once the team pivots towards legitimate contention.

Filings

Team: $1.4MM (one-year)
Player: $2.65MM (two-years)
Midpoint: $2.025MM

(via Powers)

The Numbers

Although 2022-23 saw Kurashev set a career-high in goals, assists, and points in the NHL, it’s difficult to view the year as an emphatic step forward. Kurashev is a versatile forward for whom last season was his age-23 campaign. As a player gets more NHL experience under his belt and gets closer to his mid-twenties, sizeable growth steps are expected if a player is to reach his highest NHL upside.

For Kurashev, this was the season where he had a chance to really establish himself as an impactful player. He had shown flashes of a high skill level going back to his rookie season, but that had not materialized into standout production with the Blackhawks or AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

This past season was a test for Kurashev, and how he fared may have revealed an important truth about who he is at the NHL level. Offensive skill wasn’t the main area of value Kurashev provided to first-year head coach Luke Richardson. Instead, it was Kurashev’s versatility and his resilience. In the midst of a challenging season, Kurashev’s ability to play all three forward positions, and his ability to mold himself to fit the expectations and style of any given line he’s placed on made him a regular face in the lineup, at least until he was knocked out for the season by a Tom Wilson hit on March 23rd.

There’s usefulness in the type of player who can act as a sort of “glue” that keeps a line functioning when one of its regulars is maybe absent, but there is a downside to Kurashev’s main calling card being his versatility. The jack-of-all-trades approach combined with how he was deployed meant that he was never able to forge his own unique identity in the NHL.

He was unable to carve out a consistent space for himself within Richardson’s team, instead often bouncing to wherever he was needed most. In other words, his deployment was built around how the lineup was structured, rather than the lineup being built around how he was deployed.

This means moving forward, how do the Blackhawks value Kurashev? Do they see him as a long-term third-line staple, for example? Someone who could occupy a bottom-six role on a consistent basis? Or do they perhaps view him more as a reserve forward, a player who they ideally would trust to step into the lineup whenever an injury hits, rather than someone penciled into an opening-night lineup?

That’s what makes this arbitration case a difficult one, and the arbitration award is likely to come somewhere down the middle of the two parties’ filings. (as most cases do) How Kurashev is deployed next season, now that the Blackhawks have added some genuine talent to their lineup, may reveal how Kurashev is viewed as part of the Blackhawks’ future.

2022-23 Stats: 70 GP 9G 16A 25 pts -32 rating 14 PIMs 7.8% s% 17:25 ATOI 
Career Stats: 191 GP 23G 39A 62 pts -57 rating 38 PIMs 8.6% s% 14:35 ATOI

Potential Comparables

Comparable contracts are restricted to those signed within restricted free agency, which means UFA deals and entry-level pacts are ineligible to be used. The contracts below fit within those parameters. Player salaries also fall within the parameters of the submitted numbers by both sides of this negotiation. 

Alexandre Texier (Blue Jackets) – After Texier’s 2020-21 campaign, he signed a two-year, $1.525MM AAV contract extension that likely serves as a “low-end” comparable for what Kurashev’s awarded contract could look like. Texier was a bit younger than Kurashev is now (just about one month separates their birthdays in 1999) but his profile was similar. Texier, like Kurashev, was lauded for his versatility and ability to play at center and the wing. He also had flashed upside at the NHL level but his evident talent had not materialized into anything concrete yet in the league. Like Kurashev, Texier’s poor puck luck (shooting percentage of 5.3%) was also cited as a potential reason explaining why his numbers were a disappointment. Texier managed 15 points in 49 games, a lower pace than Kurashev’s this past season, but overall they have similar profiles, and Kurashev’s floor for what he ends up receiving should look like this Texier deal.

Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames) – Dube signed a three-year, $2.3MM AAV pact with the Flames after his 2020-21 season, a year where he posted 11 goals and 22 points in 51 games. Unlike Kurashev, Dube was utilized almost exclusively on the wing, though he has shown the ability to play center at times both in his junior and later in his NHL career. Dube had a stronger record of production than Kurashev has at other levels of hockey, though, likely influencing the Flames to believe in Dube’s offensive upside at the NHL level. He delivered on that upside in 2022-23, scoring 18 goals and 45 points. It’s unclear whether the Blackhawks believe Kurashev has the ability to post those numbers playing on his next contract, so this $2.3MM AAV could represent a higher-end contract comparable for what Kurashev eventually receives.

Projection

Although there are a lot of reasons to value what Kurashev brings to the Blackhawks, ultimately his numbers are not strong enough to justify his $2.65MM AAV. Averaging over 17 minutes of ice time and over two minutes on a power play across a sample of 70 games should result in better numbers than what Kurashev was able to post.

If Kurashev anchored the Blackhawks’ penalty kill or provided exemplary physical or defensive play, maybe that gap would be bridged a bit, but that’s simply not what Kurashev provides. Still, $1.4MM with a two-year term isn’t exactly fair either. A middle ground at around $2MM AAV, perhaps maybe a shade lower if the arbitrator really puts stock in Kurashev’s lack of points production, seems like a reasonable outcome here.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Arbitration| Chicago Blackhawks| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals Philipp Kurashev| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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