Philipp Kurashev Out For Regular Season
The Chicago Blackhawks have nine games left before this dreadful season ends, but Philipp Kurashev won’t be in the lineup for any of them. The young forward has been shut down with a shoulder injury for the remainder of the schedule.
Kurashev, 23, suffered the injury just two shifts into a game against the Washington Capitals last week. While it doesn’t require surgery, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBCS Chicago, the team isn’t going to rush him back into the lineup when there’s nothing left to play for.
The Blackhawks are still trying to land the best draft lottery odds, after all, and despite his up-and-down year, Kurashev helps them compete on a nightly basis.
The Swiss forward set career highs with nine goals and 25 points this season, averaging a whopping 17:25—up from his previous career average of 12:57.
Kurashev heads into the summer as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after his one-year, $750K contract expires. It will be interesting to see if the team tries to sign him to a multi-year deal as a key part of their rebuild, or continues to go year-by-year on low-cost contracts.
Toews Skating, Still Could Return This Season
- Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has been out for nearly two months due to symptoms from long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome but hasn’t given up on returning this season. To that end, head coach Luke Richardson told Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the center has been skating in an effort to get back before the end of the campaign. There was a recent report that Toews may be considering retirement and if that’s true, that could be fueling his desire to get back for the final few games.
Chicago Blackhawks Reassign Buddy Robinson
The Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned forward Buddy Robinson to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, per a team announcement. The move ends Robinson’s latest run of NHL time, a stretch that began when he was recalled on March 13th before a game against the Boston Bruins.
This six-game run began well, with Robinson playing over 11 minutes in his team’s stunning 6-3 victory over the league-leading Boston Bruins. He then helped the Blackhawks to a victory over the Nashville Predators, playing 10 minutes in a 2-1 win. Since that point, though, things have taken a turn for the worse, as Chicago has lost their last four games and been outscored 18-4 in that span.
While Robinson’s ice time has ticked up slightly with each passing game, his contributions did not translate onto the box score. In the losing streak, he registered seven shots on goal and two penalty minutes, and perhaps the most impressive thing he can boast from that stretch is the fact that he had an even plus-minus rating in three of four games despite how decisively Chicago was defeated in those games.
In total, Robinson hasn’t yet found the scoresheet in his seven NHL games this season. He’s been brought to the NHL more for his size and ability to add to a team’s physical game, which is something he leverages his six-foot-six, 232-pound body to be able to contribute.
Now that he’s back in Rockford, Robinson will be able to help the IceHogs in their playoff push. He’s a more accomplished scorer in the AHL than he has been able to be in the NHL, and has 19 points in 45 games this season. His value as a versatile AHL scorer and NHL bottom-six grinder is reflected in the contract he signed last summer, a one-year league-minimum deal that boasted a hefty $475k AHL salary.
If he can help Rockford reach the playoffs and potentially even go on a run, while also bringing bottom-six grit when called upon in the NHL, he’ll put himself in a sound position should he hit the open market in a few months.
Chicago Blackhawks Send Down Anton Khudobin
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the Chicago Blackhawks have sent down goaltender Anton Khudobin to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. Khudobin was called up last week with Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek dealing with a groin injury, but Mrazek was full recovered today and took a spot as the team’s backup with Alex Stalock starting against the Minnesota Wild.
Khudobin becomes the odd man out once again and will head back to the minors where he has spent most of this season. The Russian goalie has played 23 AHL game, all with the Texas Stars, before a trade deadline deal sent him to the Blackhawks organization. His inclusion in the deal was mostly to make the financials work and keep the Dallas Stars under the salary cap when they acquired Max Domi for Khudobin and a second-round draft pick.
Khudobin suited up for one game with the Blackhawks, allowing six goals to the Washington Capitals, including a stickhandling gaffe by Khudobin that gave Conor Sheary an empty net to put the puck in.
While Khudobin helped the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, and signed a three-year contract with a $3.33MM cap hit that offseason, he has struggled in the past two seasons and only played ten NHL games in that time. He could very well be playing out his final pro season in North America after 16 seasons, including many as one of the most trusted backup goaltenders in the NHL.
Kurashev Possibly Out With Concussion
In his report, Pope mentions that Kurashev may be headed toward concussion protocol, but are waiting until the team returns to Chicago to make a better determination. In 70 games played for the struggling Blackhawks so far this season, Kurashev has scored nine goals and 16 assists. Although these may seem like tepid numbers from a forward, he has passed his total production from last season, which must be a welcomed sign from the rebuilding Chicago team.
Blackhawks Sign Paul Ludwinski
The Blackhawks have put pen to paper with prospect Paul Ludwinski, announcing that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal begins next season and carries a cap hit of $931,667.
The 18-year-old was a second-round pick by Chicago last year (39th overall) and has had a bit of a tough year with OHL Kingston. Injuries have limited Ludwinski to just 47 games this season and his output has dipped to just nine goals and 25 assists, good for a tie for fifth on the Frontenacs in scoring. Kingston is going to come up just short of reaching the playoffs this season which means after this weekend, Ludwinski will be permitted to join AHL Rockford for the stretch run in the minors.
However, while he’ll likely make his pro debut in the next few games, Ludwinski won’t be permitted to start next season in the AHL. At his age, his options at the start of next season will be either Chicago or Kingston with the latter being the probable outcome. Accordingly, his contract would be eligible for a slide next year which means this entry-level agreement is likely to run through the 2026-27 campaign.
Philipp Kurashev Leaves Game With Undisclosed Injury
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev left last night’s game against the Washington Capitals with an undisclosed injury, per the team. Kurashev had just two shifts before exiting the game less than five minutes in, seemingly due to a hit from Capitals winger Tom Wilson. The 23-year-old Swiss forward has set career highs for the struggling Blackhawks this season, with 25 points in 70 games.
Colin Blackwell Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery
Without much to play for down the stretch, injured players with the Chicago Blackhawks may start opting for clean-up surgeries to ensure they are ready for training camp next season. That seems to be the case with Colin Blackwell, who has undergone sports hernia surgery this week after last playing in February.
Blackwell, 29, signed a two-year, $2.4MM contract with the Blackhawks last summer, meaning he’ll carry a $1.2MM cap hit as one of the team’s bottom-six options next season. After two nice offensive seasons, his production dropped this year, resulting in just two goals in 53 games. The surgery comes with a recovery timeline of 12 weeks, meaning his season is over early.
Despite Strong Play, Alex Stalock May Have To Look Elsewhere In Free Agency
- Although Alex Stalock has had an impressive season with Chicago, John Dietz of The Daily Herald suggests that the Blackhawks might not be the best fit for him. The 35-year-old has been a nice story this year, posting a .915 SV% in 21 games. However, with Petr Mrazek signed for another season and youngsters Arvid Soderblom and Jaxson Stauber showing they’re worthy of NHL looks as well, there just might not be a viable opportunity for Stalock to stick around.
Chicago Blackhawks Expressing Interest In Hunter McKown
Undrafted free agent signing season is well underway, and with the season over for all but 16 NCAA DI men’s hockey teams, activity on that front will only heat up over the next few days.
One name that could go off the board in the coming news cycles is Hunter McKown, a 20-year-old center coming off his junior campaign with Colorado College. The Athletic’s Scott Powers reports Monday morning that the Chicago Blackhawks, among other teams, are in the mix to land his services.
McKown has been a bit of a late bloomer, at least offensively. An August 2002 birthday, McKown has been passed over in the past three drafts, but it’s not hard to see why he was skipped over in his first eligible year in 2020. He spent his draft year campaign with the U.S. National U18 Team but recorded just one goal and 10 assists in 54 games in 2019-20.
Since then, it’s been a different story. As Elite Prospects notes, the hallmark of McKown’s game has been his defensive awareness, but his shooting has shown significant development in the college ranks. McKown led Colorado College in both goals (21) and points (28) in 38 games played this season, continuing what’s been a positive linear progression offensively since joining the school.
His all-around game reached such a point last season that he was named to the 2022 World Juniors roster for Team USA, where he registered an assist in four games.
As Powers notes, Chicago is expected to face stiff competition for McKown’s services on the open market. It’s been known to NHL teams for “some time” that McKown planned to turn pro after this season, giving multiple teams time to make their interest known and prepare offers.