The Blackhawks have locked in Kevin Korchinski, and the timing makes the next step in his development even clearer.
Chicago announced it has re-signed the defenseman to a two-year deal with a $1.325 million cap hit. The move had been expected after Korchinski received a qualifying offer in June, but now the paperwork is done and the focus shifts to what comes next for the 22-year-old.
For the Blackhawks, this was an easy box to check. Korchinski has had his share of uneven stretches, but the organization is still waiting to see the full version of a player it took seventh overall.
General manager Kyle Davidson said at the trade deadline, "I think we need to get Kevin minutes and keep getting him minutes, because we have seen some really nice strides, and we want to keep that positive momentum going into the offseason. But we're big fans of Kevin.
He's got a ton of upside, a ton of ability. He's still raw.
He's still getting into the pro game and learning through that process and that development process, but he's someone that we really like (and) we have a lot of time for."
The new deal gives Korchinski some stability heading into a season that should look different for him. He is no longer waiver-exempt, which means the Blackhawks won’t be able to stash him in Rockford the way they mostly did over the last two years. That time with the IceHogs may have helped him, though, by giving him the kind of reps and experience he needed before another push at the NHL level.
His summer preparation was already in motion. In April, Korchinski told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he planned to stay in Chicago to train, and now the Blackhawks will get a chance to see what that work produced once camp opens.
He’ll have plenty of competition on the blue line. Chicago’s defense picture includes Korchinski, Wyatt Kaiser, Bowen Byram, Alex Vlasic, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov, Ian Cole and Ethan Del Mastro, once he re-signs. That makes every spot worth fighting for, especially for a player trying to carve out a steady role in the pairings.
The Blackhawks have already seen enough to believe Korchinski’s offensive skill set can fit their defense. Now the contract gives him the runway to prove it over a full NHL season. Training camp will be the first big test.
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Smith is not arriving to drive offense, and that is the point. Chicago pursued him for a specific type of value, hoping his habits can help steady areas that were quieter than they needed to be and give the lineup more bite when games tighten up. The fit is less about flash than function, which is exactly why the Blackhawks are betting on it. [Read more 🡒]