BLOG: Kurashev Finding Role Within Blackhawks’ First Line

With a few games under his belt after his recent return, Philipp Kurashev is starting to find his groove on the Blackhawks’ first line alongside Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno. 

While the Blackhawks struggled with a few minor injuries early on, Bedard began to find success with his newly added linemates to create some offensive sparks against some tough opponents. 

“It’s been good,” Bedard said. “I think we’re building chemistry, and they are two really good players, so it's been fun. We've had our chances, and everything so keep trying to build off that.”

After Kurashev suffered a minor wrist injury in a preseason tilt, the 24-year-old forward returned to action on Oct. 24 against the Boston Bruins but later found himself on the first line the following game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Since Oct. 27, him and his linemates produced six goals and three assists. 

Foligno described the Swiss winger as an “engine” who’s not afraid to get into tough areas and in front of the net. 

“I think he's learning himself at this level, too,” Foligno said. “He's still a guy that's trying to figure out who he is and I think he's realizing that there's certain things that he does really well that allow him to have success.” 

Head coach Luke Richardson placed Kurashev on the first line after his performance stood out to him against the Bruins. From there, he left the first line alone after they chemistry they created while Taylor Hall missed some time due to his shoulder injury. 

However, along with his standout game, the second-year head coach would still like to see Kurashev develop a “killer instinct” and produce more shots. While his line makes up two strong players with Bedard and Foligno, he trusts Kurashev to find his confidence to take more shots on net to create more production. 

“I think he's just a smart player,” Richardson said. “He really plays the game right and people love playing with him. He's starting to get some really good looks. I think when he starts to really get that killer instinct to bear down and shoot, I think you'll get maybe a little more production in his numbers.”

Despite starting the season with different linemates, he finds Kurashev as an easy linemate to connect with due to their communication and style of play. 

“It's really impressive to see that so he's really fun to play with,” Bedard said. “We talk a lot on the bench about plays we think we could do or whatever and I think that adds on to the chemistry.” 

Overall, Foligno described that while the two can be similar with their strong skills, but also have their differences that can make their play even greater. 

“They’re such different players and a lot of ways, but they're both hungry to make a difference,” Foligno said. “When you have that, I think it becomes easier for you to build chemistry and understand where guys want to be.”