The 2023-24 season is just over a month away, and the signings have slowed down. The focus for a number of teams now is settling their arbitration cases with their restricted free agents (RFAs). Philipp Kurashev and the Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t come to an agreement, so an arbitrator awarded him a two-year, $2.25 million average annual value (AAV) contract extension. He is coming off a solid season scoring nine goals and adding 16 assists for 25 points through 70 games.
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23-year-old Ryan McLeod and his camp have to be excited about the contract that Kurashev was recently awarded. McLeod, who has opted to take his contract negotiations through arbitration as well, is coming off a very similar offensive season to Kurashev. He scored 11 goals and added 12 assists for 23 points through 57 games last season, and added five assists through 12 playoff games.
McLeod vs Kurashev
The Oilers can’t be happy with how high the number is for Kurashev, because logically that would mean McLeod should get a slightly higher number. McLeod on the other hand, has to be excited knowing his value has jumped since he signed a contract worth only $798,000 last season. He could opt to take less money as the Oilers are contending and he’s a big piece, but time is running out to get something worked out prior to their arbitration meeting on Aug. 4.
As a youngster who took a pay cut last season in order to stay with the Oilers, it’s no surprise he’s looking to get a well-deserved pay raise. He sacrificed his salary once, I highly doubt he’d be willing to do it again. The Kurashev extension is a bridge deal that gives him an opportunity to prove himself as a solid contributor to the Blackhawks’ future, and that’s exactly what McLeod will be looking to do too.
It’s safe to say McLeod is the better offensive player between the two, and likely the better all-around forward. He had some injury issues last season so fans didn’t get to see a full 82 games out of him, but he was on pace to surpass 35 points. If the Oilers weren’t tight on cap space, I don’t think they’d have a problem giving him what he deserves. Unfortunately, they’re super tight for money and still have to focus on bringing back Evan Bouchard.
Both McLeod and Kurashev play similar roles with their respective teams. Kurashev is on a much worse team with the Blackhawks but is still able to produce at a decent level, while McLeod is on a much stronger team and producing a bit better than Kurashev. McLeod should take a big jump in production next season as he enters the prime years of his career, and he’ll only get better from here.
The Oilers Need to Try & Get Something Done Before the Arbitration Meeting
There is no doubt in my mind the arbitrator would be willing to give McLeod more than what Kurashev is going to be getting paid. That should worry the Oilers, as they can’t afford to pay McLeod much more, or even as much as $2.25 million AAV. They’re likely looking at a $3.5-4 million AAV contract for Bouchard and still need to fill a couple more holes in their lineup.
Luckily, I think McLeod wants to be an Oiler, which gives the team some leverage. I would assume he’d be willing to take a pay cut if the term is right and he gets what he wants out of the contract. If they can somehow manage to keep his salary under $2 million AAV, they will have no issue making the rest of the moves they need to make, but they need to get something done fast as Aug. 4 is just around the corner.
