The San Jose Sharks signed two free-agent forwards on day one of free agency, Philipp Kurashev and Adam Gaudette. Both are reasonably priced and on short-term deals. The Sharks signed Kurashev to a one-year deal worth $1.2 million and Gaudette to a two-year deal worth $2 million per season. So, what are the Sharks getting in the two forwards.
Kurashev a gamble who could pay off
Kurashev was a restricted free agent who was not offered a qualifying offer by the Chicago Blackhawks last season. The forward did reasonably well two seasons ago when he was on a line with Connor Bedard in Bedard’s rookie season (2023-24). That season, Kurashev scored 54 points (18 G, 36 A). Trouble is, he was also a brutal minus-44.
It turned out that Kurashev was making a lot of his points on the power play. 19 of those 54 points came on the man advantage.
His game fell off last season when he was separated from Bedard and thrust into the second-line center role to start the season. It did not go well and soon, his playing time dropped off. He went from playing 75 games at 19:01 minutes per game in 2023-24 to just 51 games and 13:43 minutes per game in 2024-25. His points dropped off as well. He scored just 14 points and scored seven goals in those 51 games. He lost confidence, and it never seemed to reignite.
So, it’s understandable why the Blackhawks wanted to part ways with the 25-year-old, but it’s also understandable why General Manager Mike Grier decided to take a shot. Even though Kurashev had a tough season last year with the Blackhawks and saw his usage decrease, some of his underlying play improved.
If you look at his regularized-adjusted plus-minus chart courtesy of Evolving Hockey from this past season, you can see an improvement in his expected goals against and his Corsi against. It shows he may be able to play that depth, defensive forward role that Grier wants him to play while potentially moving up the lineup in the event of injury.
A one-year deal does not handcuff the Sharks to Kurashev, and it gives the team a potential breakout player. For Kurashev, a change of scenery may be what he needs to find his game again.
Gaudette fills third/fourth line center role
The Sharks also signed Gaudette, who will fill the role that opened up after Nico Sturm’s departure from the team. Gaudette is a 28-year-old forward who just completed the longest season of his career, playing 81 games. He scored 26 points and averaged only 10:25 of ice time per game on the Ottawa Senators last season. Impressively, he had 19 goals, one short of the 20-goal mark.
Admittedly, Gaudette is due for a regression. The forward shot at a 21.1%, something that’s not sustainable and likely will not carry through to this season. But, he is also reliable in the faceoff circle and was 50.3% last season. He has a career 43.6% in the faceoff circle.
Gaudette is, at best, a bottom-six player on most teams. As you can see from the Evolving-Hockey RAPM chart below, between 2021 and 2024, he only had 603 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5.
That said, he was responsible during those minutes. So, while he won’t be a game breaker, he won’t lose you a game either. That’s something the Sharks may appreciate, considering the number of games the team lost after taking a lead into the third period.
Plus, fans will likely like Gaudette’s personality. It turns out the forward is a big Star Wars fan.
Adam Gaudette might have the best Star Wars ink in sports
— ᴀʀᴅᴀ Öᴄᴀʟ (@Arda) June 26, 2025
Full sleeve including Threepio, Kylo, Mando, the Falcon, the Battle on Mustafar… straight 🔥#HockeyGaud https://t.co/85LfviG4iW pic.twitter.com/xdWqecZGX5
Conclusion
Neither Gaudette nor Kurashev is going to make the Sharks demonstrably better in the upcoming season; however, in the case of Gaudette, the Sharks get a reliable bottom-six forward who the team can throw over the boards in tight games. He’ll be responsible with the puck and will help the team close out games. That’s something the Sharks could have used more of last season.
As for Kurashev, the Sharks get a lottery ticket, something Grier has taken a shot on a lot during this rebuilding process. There’s nothing wrong with taking a chance on guys, especially young ones that may just need a change of scenery. If it works, great. If it doesn’t work, it’s a one-year deal and the Sharks can simply decide not to invite Kurashev back in 2025-26.
