The Blackhawks have a defense logjam on their hands, but Kevin Korchinski did enough this preseason to push himself to the front of the line.
Chicago went 2-1-1 in the preseason, and while the group as a whole had its moments, Korchinski stood out in a way that matters. He looked comfortable, he moved the puck cleanly, and he played like a defenseman who finally trusted what he was seeing again. That puts him in position to open the season against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Sam Rinzel, on the other hand, did not make the same case. He struggled when he was on the ice, and the Blackhawks should send him to the American Hockey League.
Korchinski’s path has already been unusual. The seventh overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft signed his entry-level contract right away, then was pushed into the NHL because he was only 18 and couldn’t play in the AHL.
He spent the full 2022-23 season in Chicago, and it went badly. That kind of jump can rattle a young defenseman, and it clearly knocked his confidence off course for a while.
This preseason, though, he showed something closer to the player Chicago hoped it was drafting. Over the two games he played, he looked like he belonged at the NHL level, and the performance was steady enough to separate itself from the usual camp noise.
The biggest reason was his puck movement. Korchinski knew when to use space, read the ice well, and kept his passes simple and sharp.
That showed up at 5-on-5 and on the power play. He may still need to add more physicality, but he did gain 17-plus pounds over the offseason, and he also stayed engaged throughout his shifts.
That matters for a young defenseman in a camp where the margins are tight. With the new CBA rules limiting training camp allotment hours, and players with over 100 NHL games only allowed to appear in two preseason games, it’s hard for kids to make a massive statement. Korchinski still managed to do it.
If he gets the bottom-pairing spot, it won’t change the Blackhawks’ top four, which includes Bowen Byram, Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, and Artyom Levshunov. But it would affect Ian Cole, who was signed to a one-year, $4 million deal to fill the kind of role Connor Murphy had before he was dealt at last season’s trade deadline.
Cole brings value in his own lane. He’s a penalty killer, he scored a shorthanded goal in the final preseason game, and at 37 he brings veteran presence to a very young blue line. That kind of influence still matters.
For Rinzel, the preseason never really clicked. The 25th overall pick in the 2022 Draft looked timid and lacked physicality.
In the minutes he played with Cole, he posted a 5-on-5 on-ice shot attempts for percentage of 35.80 and was worst on the team with 52 shots against while he was on the ice. Korchinski simply outplayed him.
Rinzel does not need waivers to go to the IceHogs, so that is the clean development path if Chicago chooses it. And based on what both players showed, that’s the route the Blackhawks should take.
Defensemen take time, and the NHL can be brutal on them. Confidence disappears fast. Korchinski may have needed four years to find his footing, but this preseason made a strong case that he’s ready for another full-time shot in Chicago.
In Other News...
Blackhawks Opening Night Picture Is Still Unsettled Without Bedard
The Blackhawks may have their opening-night roster on paper, but the group that actually skates into the season still looks like a work in progress. Chicago carried eight defensemen and 13 forwards as it finalized the roster for the 2026-27 NHL season, and head coach Jeff Blashill spent practice reshuffling the forward lines while the team prepared for its trip to Las Vegas.
The uncertainty is amplified by Connor Bedards status, since he traveled with the club but will not play during the three-game road trip and is also unlikely to be available for the home opener. Blashill said the final 12 forwards for the game are still not settled, leaving the Blackhawks with a little more sorting to do before they can put a true opening-night lineup on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Open With Two Big Questions Fans Will Notice Fast
The Blackhawks are headed into the 2026-27 season with an opener against the Vegas Golden Knights that already comes with plenty of intrigue, and the projected lineups tell part of the story. Chicagos offseason changes and coaching updates have set the stage for a fresh look, while the leagues return to an 84-game regular season adds a little more weight to every early decision as the calendar turns toward opening night.
What stands out most is how many familiar names are still part of the conversation, even before the puck drops. The Blackhawks projected forward group points to a few competition battles that could shape the start of the season, and the status of key players recovering from injury remains something to watch as camp approaches. With the opener and the first wave of league events coming into focus, Chicagos lineup picture is clear in some spots and still very much in motion in others. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Enter A Season Kyle Davidson Can No Longer Delay
The Blackhawks are heading into the 2026-27 season at a point that was always going to come sooner or later for Kyle Davidson. After tearing the roster down, collecting high draft picks and adding franchise pieces such as Connor Bedard and Bowen Byram, the organization is no longer just measuring progress by patience and promise. This is the season when the rebuild starts to be judged in a more concrete way, even if a playoff push is not necessarily the expectation.
For Davidson, the pressure now shifts from assembling talent to defining the next version of the core. The front office has spent years stockpiling young players and reshaping the depth chart, and the question is no longer whether the Blackhawks have assets worth keeping around. It is which pieces fit the next phase, and how long the team can keep leaning on development before the discussion turns to results. [Read more 🡒]