The Chicago Blackhawks have been patient with Kevin Korchinski. Is it finally paying off?
Unless head coach Jeff Blashill plans on dressing 7 defensemen again early in the season, which seems unlikely now that they have a surplus of NHL-caliber forwards, there are 8 players for 6 spots.
Among them are Alex Vlasic, Bowen Byram, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Ian Cole, Ethan Del Mastro, Kevin Korchinski, and Wyatt Kaiser. There are waivers and AHL eligibility that will be considered when deciding who makes the team, but the Hawks are in a position now where they want the best players playing.
Vlasic, Byram, Cole, and Kaiser are locks for the top 4 entering camp. The last 2 spots will go to one of the others. One of those battling, Korchinski, is off to a great start in camp.
During practice, he has been great at moving the puck, driving offense from the back end, and using his incredible skating to his advantage. He was also one of the bubble players who played against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, and he was Chicago’s best player in the 3-2 OT loss.
"I think you have to take every day with the utmost importance," Korchinski said following the game that he played so well in. "You have to get geared up for the season. The regular season is coming up soon."
Korchinski had one assist in the game. Initially, it looked like it was his goal, but his shot, as the last man in the rush, deflected off Dominic Toninato and into the net. He showed great poise to skate into the play, accept the pass, and rip it on net.
"I just tried to get it on net," Korchinski said of the play. "[Having a] shooter's mentality for our team helps. That's how you score goals. Simplify it, shoot the puck, and good things happen."
In addition to helping with that goal, he drew a penalty, had the second-highest xG share at 55.8% (second on the team), and led his squad in both ice time (25:25) and takeaways (2). Those types of performances will get Korchinski more looks as the preseason goes on and eventually winds down into the regular season.
After the game, Jeff Blashill gave his typical coach speak when evaluating Korchinski's game. Blashill mentioned that he thinks Korchinski can move his feet better than he did early in the first period, but he got better as the game went along. Blashill also mentioned that the whole team got better as the game went along, insinuating that the team went as Korchinski went.
The Blackhawks may use an NHL lineup on Monday when the Wild visit the United Center for preseason game 2. Korchinski may not be a part of that, as he and Ethan Del Mastro were the extras in practice on Sunday. However, this start for him is getting him noticed, and it can't hurt his chances of being an NHL player in 2026-27.
Even if he doesn't dress on night 1, there is plenty of time for him to keep proving himself. If he keeps going as he did in Minnesota, the future is bright for him.
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