On Wednesday afternoon, Scott Powers of is reporting it’s highly likely the Blackhawks and Philipp Kurashev will have to wait for an arbitrator to settle his next salary. Kurashev’s agent, Pat Brisson (the same guy who reps Seth Jones, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and a handful of the league’s elite players), told Powers the two sides are still far apart on the dollars.
According to Powers’ report, “Kurashev has filed a request seeking a one-year contract with a $2.65 million cap hit and the Blackhawks are seeking a two-year deal with a $1.4 million cap hit.” Kurashev signed a $750,000 contract for last season after completing his entry-level deal that carried a $842,500 cap hit.
Kurashev, 23, was originally a fourth-round pick (No. 120 overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2018 NHL Draf♔t. He posted career-highs in games played (70) and points (25) last s💖eason. Kurashev has yet to score more than nine goals in an NHL season, however.
I will be fascinated to see a) if this gets all the way to a hearing, and b) if it does, what the arbitrator decides on a salary for Kurashev. I don’t see his current resume as being worthy of the money he’s asking for, and find it interesting that he’s balking at a multi-year commitment from the organization.
