A small subset of Blackhawks who was once thought to be an integral part of the ongoing rebuild may be completely eradicated in less than two days.
At the end of June, when all the attention in Chicago was focused on top prospect Connor Bedard and other members of the new draft class, GM Kyle Davidson and his staff made the decision to move on from a handful of pending restricted free agents. They chose to not extend qualifying offers to players like Anders Bjork, Austin Wagner, and Caleb Jones, letting them walk in free agency on the first of July.
The only RFA that was extended a qualifying offer was forward Philipp Kurashev. Although it was once assumed that the 23-year-old forward would be back on the team as they continued to return to Cup contention, his outlook is now anything but certain.
Back at the end of March, it was all but certain Kurashev would be a Blackhawk for the foreseeable future. At only 23 years old, he fit the timeline of the Blackhawks’ rebuild perfectly. He was immensely talented last year, and he helped a poor team stay competitive night in and night out. His talent was likely part of why he was shut down for the year when he sustained a shoulder injury in March, as he likely would have rushed back if he was needed. Being shut down was a sure sign that he would be returning on a new contract, as Chicago didn’t want to recklessly injure one of its prized young possessions.
However, it’s becoming increasingly likely that we may have seen the last of Kurashev. He filed for arbitration after receiving his qualifying offer, as Davidson expected, but the GM also mentioned that he was confident the two sides would reach an agreement before his arbitration date, which is set for Thursday. Such an agreement has not yet been announced, and the clock is ticking. If the Blackhawks aren’t able to get a deal done soon, the contract set by the third party could be much less team-friendly than Chicago is hoping for.
If the sides do follow through with the arbitration hearing Thursday, it’ll be more likely than ever that Blackhawks fans have seen the last of Philipp Kurashev. Provided the deal’s value is significant, if the team isn’t happy with the result, they can simply walk away. Kurashev would then become an unrestricted free agent on the open market.
There’s no question Kurashev is a talented young skater, but the Blackhawks aren’t exactly desperate to retain him. After a series of high-dollar acquisitions to reach the cap floor, the team actually has a surplus of forwards with nowhere to put them. Now that Bedard has signed, according to CapFriendly, the Blackhawks have 15 forwards on the roster including Kurashev. If they were to let him walk, there wouldn’t be much panic to try to fill his vacated spot.
Whether the two sides are still able to reach an agreement, or if they can come together during arbitration, or if the Blackhawks let Kurashev walk will be decided in the next 48 hours. It’s always a plus to retain high-caliber young talent, but so far, the Blackhawks are staying vigilant in their strategy, and still refuse to overpay on an expected multi-year deal.
He gonnnneee!