The Chicago Blackhawks have had Kevin Korchinski up with them since the Olympics ended, but why doesn't he play more?
Wyatt Kaiser was not ready to return to the Chicago Blackhawks when the Olympics ended, so they called up both Sam Rinzel and Kevin Korchinski from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.
Rinzel was up heading into the break, but they decided to let him play some games in the AHL while the team was on break. For Korchinski, it was another opportunity to spend time with the NHL club.
Of the four games played so far, Korchinski only dressed for two of them. The only reason he got into those games is the fact that Rinzel came down with an illness. The plan was for him to sit for all of them.
In the loss to the Colorado Avalanche, he only played a total of 8:24. He saw a slight bump in the win over the Utah Mammoth, skating for 10:27.
The interesting thing is that Connor Murphy was traded on Monday, and they still scratched Korchinski. Sam Rinzel was back in the lineup, but they actually called up Ethan Del Mastro to take Murphy's spot instead of just letting Korchinski play.
This is an interesting spot for the young former first-round pick. Sure, Del Mastro plays a style that replicates Murphy more than he does, but Rinzel was also going back into the lineup with an expected jump in ice-time with Murphy's absence.
If he's not going to play while with the NHL team, having him there instead of developing further in the AHL is a curious decision. The team clearly feels that, for now, Korchinski is benefitting from practicing with the NHL guys.
Korchinski is an offensive defenseman. His stock was high entering the 2022 NHL Draft because of his skating and offensive IQ. Since being drafted, however, Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levhsunov have been better at those things, while also showing more of a ceiling in other areas of the game. That has pushed Korchinski further down the line.
Wyatt Kaiser is going to return from his injury on Friday against the Vancouver Canucks, which blocks the path for Korchinski even further. He deserves to get a chance down the stretch, but so many players at his position on the roster make it hard to see logistically.
Even if they trade Matt Grzelcyk, they still have Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, Alex Vlasic, and Ethan Del Mastro ahead of Korchinski on the depth chart.
Is a change of scenery necessary for the young defenseman? For the sake of roster space, it might be wise for the Blackhawks to consider something like that. His pedigree as a prospect still makes him worth something on the open market, but they likely want a contributing player or prospect back in a deal.
If they can't find a deal, they must think of a way to get him NHL ice time so they can see what they have in the player as the season comes to an end.
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