3 players who were the Chicago Blackhawks' biggest surprises this season

In one week, the Chicago Blackhawks will wrap up the 2023-24 season with their final game in Los Angeles, on April 18th, against the LA Kings.

After spending the last few years in a transition period, this was the season that would begin a new era for the Blackhawks with changes throughout the organization. Off the ice, Danny Wirtz would take over as the team's owner after the sudden passing of Rocky Wirtz in July of 2023. The on-ice product would also be drastically different, as for the first time in 17 years, franchise icons Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews would not be on the opening-night roster after they depart from Chicago.

With the team being completely different from what fans have been used to for the better part of two decades, a new franchise pillar would be making his debut at the United Center. After winning the NHL's Draft Lottery and securing the first overall pick, season ticket profits skyrocketed as word quickly spread that Connor Bedard was coming to Chicago. The NHL's top prospect since Edmonton Oilers' forward Connor McDavid in 2015, the Blackhawks had found the centerpiece for their rebuild.

Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson added some veteran leadership to aid the young players making the jump to the NHL this season. Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry were the biggest names acquired by the Blackhawks in the offseason, though not all went as planned.

Taylor Hall's season ended just 10 games in after ACL surgery and Perry was released from the team soon after due to an off-ice altercation that violated team protocols. On the other hand, Foligno has become a fan and locker-room favorite, resulting in a two-year extension being granted to the veteran forward.

The Blackhawks' current record stands at 23-50-5 and another top-five draft choice is just a few short months away. Many young players have begun their NHL careers in Chicago this season, with some showing they are more than ready for the increased role. The spotlight has been on Connor Bedard this season, but there have been other players who succeeded expectations and have been bright spots throughout the Blackhawks roster.

Philipp Kurashev

In the years following being drafted by the Blackhawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Philipp Kurashev was one of the more skilled forwards in the team's system. A strong junior career led him to a respectable rookie season with the Rockford IceHogs(AHL) in the 2019-20 season, which would be his only full season in the AHL.

After posting 16 points in 54 games during his rookie season in Chicago, Kurashev was seen as a player who had the potential to take the next step as an NHL scorer.

The next two seasons saw similar production from Kurashev, with the young forward producing 46 points over his next 137 games. Despite his lack of production, the Blackhawks coaching staff continued to hold out hope that Kurashev would find his offense at the NHL level. Last season saw improvements as Kurashev found more time playing on the team's top two lines and showed he could hold his own in a higher role.

Kurashev has found a home for himself on the Blackhawks top-line alongside Connor Bedard as an important member of the offense. In 71 games, Kurashev has tallied 17 goals and 52 points, surpassing a career-high in goals, assists, and points. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2023 with an average annual salary of 2.25 million dollars per year.

With the way Kurashev has played this season, he will be due a pay raise at the end of his current contract. At 24 years-old, he is still at the very beginning of his NHL career and could become a mainstay in the Blackhawks top-six for the foreseeable future.

Petr Mrazek

When Mrazek was acquired by the Blackhawks at the 2022 NHL Draft, the move was a camp dump by the Toronto Maple Leafs to offload his 3.8 million dollar contract.

Last season saw Mrazek start in 39 games for the Blackhawks where he posted 10 wins and a .894 save percentage. Considering the defense that played in front of Mrazek last season, his save percentage is not nearly as bad as it could have been. However, this season Petr Mrazek has been playing his best hockey in years.

Mrazek has struggled with injuries throughout his NHL career, this was the case in Toronto when he suffered a groin injury before being acquired by the Blackhawks. This season he currently has started 54 games which ties a career high set back in 2015-16 while playing in Detroit. In those starts, Mrazek has 18 wins with a .907 save percentage.

The 18 wins for Mrazek do not tell the entire story of how he has played this season, with there being numerous games he has played fantastic in, but the team struggles to score. His strong presence in net and leadership earned Mrazek a two-year extension with the Blackhawks with a salary of 4.25 million per season. Despite talks of teams desperate for a goaltender at the trade deadline, the Blackhawks decided to hold on to their netminder and establish a culture going forward for the young players.