Luke Richardson's statement on Philipp Kurashev's removal from the lineup

Crashing the net, and taking shots when he has them, so far though Kurashev's production hasn't caught up with his hustle.

In 6 games, the winger has only scored 1 goal, with a -6, and an ATOI of 15:54 in that time frame.

So Head Coach Luke Richardson made a decision, that he will be a scratch tomorrow against the fierce Vancouver Canucks.

While we don't know what was said in the entire meeting, there's obvious criticism about the young forward's production, and defensive share which is lacking by his rating on the ice(-6).

Richardson has gone to far as to say he could count on Kurashev to be a reliable producer on the ice, and that's the main reason why he's removing him from the lineup.

In his place tomorrow against the Canucks, Andreas Athanasiou will slot in as the 2nd line center, with Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall flanking him.

He will also take over Kurashev's regular duties on the 2nd line power-play unit as well.

Hopefully, Kurashev understands the magnitude of this situation, as the wake-up call was given to Lukas Reichel recently.

Can it change Kurashev's perspective?

2023-2024 was a career year for Kurashev, as he scored 54 points( 18 G, 36 A) and has been on the regular lineup for the Blackhawks since the 2020-2021 shortened season.