Ex-Blackhawks Forward Must Bounce Back With New Team

The 2024-25 season was a complete nightmare for forward Philipp Kurashev. In 51 games with the Chicago Blackhawks on the year, he posted just seven goals, seven assists, and a minus-28 rating. When noting that he just had 18 goals, 34 assists, and 54 points in 75 games with the Blackhawks in 2024-25, this past campaign was a notable step in the wrong direction for the 25-year-old forward.

After struggling this past season, Kurashev did not receive a qualifying offer from the Blackhawks this summer and became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1. From there, he signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the San Jose Sharks.

Now that Kurashev has landed an opportunity with this one-year, prove-it deal from San Jose, he undoubtedly needs to take advantage of it and put together a bounce-back season.

When noting that Kurashev just had a 54-point campaign in 2023-24 with the Blackhawks, there is a chance that he could get his offense back up a bit more. If he could hit, say, 35 points next season with the Sharks, he would end up being a nice depth pickup for them.

When looking at the Sharks' depth chart, Kurashev could be put in a position to succeed, too. He should see time in their middle six and also could very well get some chances on their power play. This could help Kurashev, as he should get more consistent chances with the Sharks than he did last season with the Blackhawks.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the change of scenery benefits Kurashev next season. It was clear that he was no longer a fit on the Blackhawks' roster, so a fresh start in San Jose could very well help him.

Blackhawks Made Great Move Acquiring Ex-Canucks ForwardDuring this past off-season, the Chicago Blackhawks acquired Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty's signing rights from the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks also sent a 2027 second-round pick to the Blackhawks for taking on Mikheyev's salary, while Chicago only sent over a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Canucks in the trade.

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