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2025-26 San Jose Sharks Player Reviews: Philipp Kurashev
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- 2025-26 San Jose Sharks Player Reviews: Philipp Kurashev
After the Chicago Blackhawks opted not to submit a qualifying offer to Philipp Kurashev last summer, he looked to the San Jose Sharks in an attempt to recapture his past magic. On July 1, 2025, the Sharks signed Kurashev to a one-year contract worth $1.2 million.
Kurashev had prior success at the NHL level. During the 2023-24 season, he set career highs in goals (18), assists (36), and points (54) while a member of the Blackhawks. While it seemed like that season may have just been a flash in the pan, the Sharks decided to see if they could find a way to get him to return to that level of play. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that their gamble paid off the way that they had hoped.
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Statistics
Games Played - 43 -Kurashev played just over half of the season for the Sharks but registered the lowest number of games played in his NHL career.
Goals - 7- Tied for the second-worst goal scoring season in his career. Kurashev also didn't score a single goal on the power play.
Assists - 13- Kurashev reached double digits in assists for the fourth time in his career.
Points - 20- The third-lowest point total of his NHL career.
Shots - 62- The second-fewest shots that Kurashev has taken in a season.
Shooting Percentage - 11.3%- Surpassed his career average by 0.5%.
Time on Ice - 15:29- The third most ice time of Kurashev's career.
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Plus/Minus - +1- This season marked the first time in his career that Kurashev finished with a positive plus/minus.
Giveaways - 32- The highest giveaways-per-60 rating of Kurashev's career.
Takeaways - 8- For the first time in his career, Kurashev finished with a takeaways-per-60 under 1.0.
NHL EDGE
Hardest Shot - 85.33 MPH- Despite his hardest shot placing in the 53rd percentile league-wide, Kurashev was consistent with his shot power as he finished in the 76th percentile for average shot speed.
Max Skating Speed - 22.21 MPH- Surpassed league average by .04 miles per hour.
Total Miles Skated - 110.65 -Despite finishing below average for total skating distance, Kurashev covered quite a bit of ice when he was in the lineup. He finished 89th percentile for most miles skated in a single game.
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Upon the expiration of his current contract, Kurashev is expected to be a restricted free agent if the Sharks opt to submit a qualifying offer in an attempt to retain his services. Of course, there is always the chance that the Sharks decide to allow Kurashev to hit unrestricted free agency for the second straight season which, given their current logjam of forwards, seems fairly likely.
Kurashev's future in the Bay Area, and in the NHL as a whole, remains unknown at this point. He has some value to an organization, but he's likely running out of opportunities to prove he belongs in the NHL.
