For the first time in 12 years, the Blackhawks entered an arbitration hearing Thursday with forward Philipp Kurashev. Kurashev was coming off a one-year, $750,000 deal last season after the completion of his entry-level contract the year before.
Sunday, it was announced that Kurashev would receive a deal for two years at $2.25 million annually. The deal is a win for the 23-year-old forward, as his side had initially aimed for a one-year deal at $2.65 million, while Chicago countered at two years, $1.4 million per year. It’s certainly a pay raise, as Kurashev ended up tripling last year’s salary as a result of the hearing.
Despite the “loss” in the hearing, the Blackhawks won’t be too disappointed in Kurashev’s new deal. The forward can be a key contributor over the next two seasons, and could either solidify a role in the starting lineup for the long term or become a legitimate trade piece as the roster continues to be built back up in the coming years.
The $2.25 million number is clearly high for a forward who will likely be on the bottom-six for the entire season. Kurashev hasn’t yet had a double-digit goal scoring season, and doesn’t have much room for advancement, sitting behind a newly revamped top-six including new additions Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato.
Nevertheless, the new arbitrated deal makes sense for both sides, and could be mutually beneficial. Kurashev, of course, gets a big pay raise, and also gets job security for at least two more years so that he can prove he’s more than worthy of his new contract. For the Blackhawks’ side, they get a player who could quickly blossom into a key contributor in the bottom six forwards for a cap number that seems more than manageable. He’s currently the seventh-highest paid forward in Chicago, a number that’s consistent with his production, even if it’s only behind overly inflated cap-dump numbers. The two-year term is also team-friendly, as it whisks away the Blackhawks’ worries for one starting slot for two seasons while still maintaining long-term flexibility, a key goal of GM Kyle Davidson’s rebuild.
Tensions Rising?
No one likes to hear the word arbitration, as everyone knows what it means for a player-team relationship. In a court setting where team representatives intentionally point out a player’s flaws and reduce his value for the sake of a more team-friendly deal, tensions can rise quickly, forever impacting their relationship in the workplace. Sure, it’s “just business”, but arbitration is always a situation one wants to avoid. However, with a new two-year deal in place that’s favorable to a relatively unproven player, but is also more than manageable for the team, Kurashev’s contract may have made everyone happy.
Now that no one will expect it, something will happen like an injury or Kurashev will play surprisingly good, and he will hit double digits for goals this year, you watch.