The Blackhawks checked off one of the last items on their offseason list Saturday, locking up defenseman Kevin Korchinski on a contract extension.
Chicago announced a two-year deal for the 22-year-old former restricted free agent that carries an annual value of $1.325 million.
Korchinski has already had a winding start to his pro career. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft spent one more season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds before making his NHL debut in 2023-24, when he played 76 games for the Blackhawks and finished with 15 points (5 G, 10 A). That rookie season was a rough one, and his role has shrunk since then.
Over the last two seasons, Korchinski has appeared in 29 games for Chicago and totaled four points (1 G, 3 A). His usage has also trended down sharply, from 19:37 per game in his rookie year to 17:05 two seasons ago and then 13:38 last season. Most of his work in the third and final year of his entry-level contract came in the AHL with the IceHogs, where he put up 26 points (2 G, 24 A) in 53 games.
He did get a late-season look with the Blackhawks, skating in the final eight games of the previous season. The results were solid enough to be described as “fine,” which was an improvement on some of his earlier NHL stretches.
The new contract doesn’t necessarily settle Korchinski’s long-term future in Chicago, but it does give the organization another season to make its call on whether he fits into the bigger picture.
With Korchinski signed, Ethan Del Mastro is now the Blackhawks’ only restricted free agent without a contract as training camp for the 2026-27 season approaches next month.
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