The Chicago Blackhawks face an interesting season. Despite landing a generational talent in Connor Bedard and some proven veterans in Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry to surround him, the rebuild is far from over. The team won’t be free from pressure, either. As more prospects develop and the Blackhawks begin building their next competitive core, some players will need to begin proving they belong long-term. Here are three Blackhawks with the most to prove in 2023-24, with the season opener fewer than three months away.
Philipp Kurashev
Heading into his fourth NHL season, Philipp Kurashev is one of the few Blackhawks around from the previous regime. In fact, he’s their second-longest tenured player, only behind Connor Murphy. As a restricted free agent (RFA), Kurashev recently filed for arbitration and will have his hearing on July 20 if he and the Blackhawks can’t come to an agreement by then. However, general manager Kyle Davidson has said he’s optimistic a deal will get done.
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Kurashev will be under the microscope this season, provided the Blackhawks reach a deal with him. He’s a skilled forward and posted respectable albeit unspectacular numbers during his rookie campaign in 2020-21 with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 54 games. He has recorded 46 points in 137 games over the last two regular seasons combined, and while he has occasionally thrived in the top-nine, consistency has been an issue. At this point in his NHL career, it’s hard to see him becoming more than a middle-six forward. That said, he’s just 23, and development isn’t linear. Kurashev also found nice chemistry with Lukas Reichel last season when the two were on a line together.
It’s rather remarkable to think Kurashev was just a fourth-round pick in 2018 (120th overall), given he has more or less exceeded expectations relative to his draft position. However, he’s entering a make-or-break season. After coming off a one-year, “prove it”-type deal last season, his contract for 2023-24 and possibly beyond should be telling about where he fits with regard to the team’s future.
Taylor Raddysh
After arriving in the Brandon Hagel trade and posting 10 points in 21 games to end 2021-22, Raddysh flourished in his first full season with Chicago. He recorded a team-high 40 points in 78 games while also tying Andreas Athanasiou for a team-high 20 goals. Additionally, Raddysh finished third among forwards in average time on ice (ATOI) with 15:34 per game, only behind Jonathan Toews (17:43) and Kurashev (17:25). He made great strides last season, but there’s still a fair bit he needs to prove to become a long-term piece, most notably his consistency.
In a four-game stretch from March 8-14, Raddysh recorded seven points (six goals, one assist) before going pointless in his next seven games. He also had stretches of six and seven games last November and February, respectively, when he went pointless. That’s concerning, no matter what his numbers may say.
Like Kurashev, Raddysh may not be more than a middle-six forward long-term, and that’s fine. Since coming to Chicago, he has made the most of the opportunities he wasn’t able to get with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where his playing time was limited. But whether he factors into the Blackhawks’ top- or even middle-six, say, two or three years from now remains to be seen. Prospects such as Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, and Ryan Greene are all waiting in the wings and will likely be pushing for roles by then.
The Blackhawks owe Raddysh $758,333 this season before he becomes an RFA in 2024. At 25, he isn’t as young as Kurashev, but he still has room for development. Another 40-to-50-point season would be solid, but he needs to show more consistency, which’ll likely be a factor as to whether he stays through the rebuild. Moreover, if the Blackhawks are in a position to sell come next year’s deadline, perhaps he becomes a trade piece, especially with a relatively inexpensive contract. He enters both an important and intriguing season, no doubt.
Arvid Söderblom
With two years of seasoning under his belt, the Blackhawks will likely start Arvid Söderblom at the NHL level this fall, along with Petr Mrázek. Söderblom faced a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign, unexpectedly coming up in October when Mrázek and Alex Stalock suffered injuries. In 15 games, he went 2-10-2 with an .894 save percentage (SV%) and 3.45 goals against average (GAA). It’s worth noting he had a .935 SV% in his first three games before ultimately regressing, much of which was a byproduct of the team around him.
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By no means is Söderblom in a rush to succeed and post Corey Crawford-like numbers. Again, the Blackhawks are still in the thick of their rebuild, and he could very well end up being their starter when they’re competitive. The team does have a deep goaltending pipeline, though, as prospects Drew Commesso and recently drafted Adam Gajan could be in the mix to become their next No. 1. They could always go outside the organization via free agency or trade, too.
Compared to Raddysh and Kurashev, Söderblom’s place on the Blackhawks feels relatively secure, at least for the next few years. However, he needs to take a bit of a step forward. Having played in more than 70 games with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Rockford IceHogs the last two seasons, the focus has all but shifted to adapting to the NHL level. Even a bit of improvement this season could go a long way in determining his future with the team.
For the Blackhawks, next season’s roster feels mostly complete by now. The additions of Foligno and Perry, in particular, could solidify the bottom-six, creating competition for roster spots among depth forwards such as MacKenzie Entwistle, Boris Katchouk, and Reese Johnson. Neither of those names, however, likely has much staying power with the team compared to Kurashev, Raddysh, and Söderblom. All three have much to prove this season as they keep developing.
