Blackhawks deal unfortunate news to Philip Kurashev moments before puck drop Thursday vs Panthers
The Chicago Blackhawks will need the big guns tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.
So why isLuke Richardson making line up changes that don't yield results? There's undoubtedly a connection between Connor Bedard and Jason Dickinson.
But instead of someone like Philipp Kurashev, he has Joey Anderson once again on the top line.
Usually, when the coach brings out the lineup bender, it's to find new chemistry and connections on the ice.
However, Bedard is still drawing in on the wing, while the linemate who was a catalyst for offense last season and scored 50+ points on his right flank in 2023, is a healthy scratch.
In 18 games this season, he's only scored 4 points( 1 G, 3 A) with a -16 and his last goal came against the Minnesota Wild.
The last time Kurashev was a healthy scratch Luke Richardson said this:
So it's obvious that this is a matter of trust, and a lack of production if Kurashev is in the press box tonight.
But it's also something to reconsider when you haven't set up Kurashev to thrive, and that would mean placing Kurashev on the same line as Connor Bedard.
Last season in November, the team looked quite different, and Kurashev was producing at a great clip. Now? Not so much.
From November 8th, 2023:
It is on the player to keep producing, but the coach always seems to escape some of the shared blame in this situation as well.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 21 | 165 ANSWERS Blackhawks deal unfortunate news to Philip Kurashev moments before puck drop Thursday vs Panthers Should Philipp Kurashev be on the same line as Connor Bedard? | ||
| Yes | 137 | 83 % |
| No | 28 | 17 % |
| List of polls | ||
