Sheng Peng
The San Jose Sharks have many shooters, they could use another playmaker.
Could Philipp Kurashev be the answer?
The Sharks took a chance on Kurashev, inking the free agent center-winger to a one-year, $1.25 million pact on Jul. 1.
The 25-year-old struggled for the Chicago Blackhawks last season, enduring healthy scratches on his way to just seven goals and 14 points in 51 games. This was after a breakout 2023-24, when the Swiss forward put up 18 goals and 54 points.
Chicago declined to qualify RFA Kurashev, making him a UFA. Enter San Jose.
This off-season, the San Jose Sharks added shooters Jeff Skinner and Adam Gaudette. Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and Carl Grundstrom are also all about shot volume.
Kurashev, however, is a pass-first player.
Question is, can he get back to what he was doing in 2023-24?
Micro-stats from Stathletes and numbers from NHL EDGE illustrate what Kurashev must do to find his game.
Puck Carrying
Kurashev likes to have the puck on his stick.
In 2023-24, he was second among Blackhawks forwards in Puck Carries Per 60 at 5-on-5. Last year, he was fifth.
Ideally, Kurashev is touching the puck lots, and good things are happening as a result, which is what happened two years ago.
Passing
Kurashev produces by passing — in 2023-24, he led Chicago forwards in Successful Passes Per 60 at 5-on-5. Last year, he was fifth.
Kurashev is more likely to pass than shoot, though not at an Alex Wennberg-like extreme. He was second-to-last among Hawks forwards in Shot Attempts Per 60 at 5-on-5 in 2023-24.
Also in his breakout campaign, Kurashev led forwards in Passes Closer to the Net and Inner Slot Passes Per 60 at 5-on-5. So he was putting his linemates in better scoring positions.
Kurashev wasn’t able to do that as often last year — he was actually second-worst among Chicago forwards in Inner Slot Passes.
Speed
On average, Kurashev was actually slower in 2024-25 than in 2023-24.
Per NHL EDGE, in 2023-24, Kurashev had a speed burst of over 20 MPH roughly every nine minutes of action. Last year? Those speed bursts occurred less frequently, about every 12 minutes.
Was Kurashev a little banged up?
“I was dealing with some stuff last summer [in 2024] that kind of set me back a little bit, physically. So it wasn’t as easy to do my normal summer training and stuff like that,” Philipp Kurashev told San Jose media last month. “So it was kind of hard when you’re kind of behind from the start of the season, started not so good, and then it kind of just snowballed. Never really climbed out of that hole.”
Getting back up to speed will certainly help Kurashev make more plays.
Puck Deflections
The focus, obviously, is to get Kurashev back on the scoresheet more often.
But he does provide an intriguing defensive element too.
Over the last two years, he’s led Blackhawks forwards in Puck Deflections in Defensive Zone Per 60 at 5-on-5.
This suggests that Kurashev has a talent for sniffing out passing lanes, and he’s been a secondary penalty killer. In Chicago.
Next Year?
There’s a lot of opportunity on the San Jose Sharks for Kurashev to shine.
At his best, he’s particularly dangerous on the rush and has a high motor. Pass first or not, the left-hander has also got a deceptively hard shot.
The 6-foot-0 forward is not very physical and isn’t going to win a ton of puck battles.
He’s something of a speed merchant who wasn’t as quick last year. If he finds his feet, production should follow.
Right now, Kurashev appears more likely to play wing than center for the San Jose Sharks. And after Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund, it’s an open competition on the wing for the team.
The playmaker should be a good fit with a sharpshooter. Kurashev found a lot of his success in 2023-24 next to Connor Bedard.
Can Kurashev, on a prove-it deal, show that his breakout 2023-24 campaign wasn’t a fluke?
Fact is, besides 2023-24, Kurashev’s points high was just 25 in 2022-23. So maybe last year’s slump wasn’t that, but closer to his reality.