Kevin Korchinski will be "trying to prove I belong" with Blackhawks in 2026-27

Kevin Korchinski has the potential. It's the reason the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him seventh overall in 2022.

It's the same reason general manager Kyle Davidson, along with Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill and Rockford IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale want to see this through.

Korchinski received a qualifying offer from the Blackhawks as an RFA (Restricted Free Agent) and is currently still waiting for a new contract.

But once he's signed, his storyline for 2026-27 will be about how he progresses in a big season.

Korchinski's skill has remained in forefront

Korchinski's development has been a bit of a rollercoaster over the past few years. He couldn't join the Rockford IceHogs until his second year pro because of the CHL and AHL agreement that players coming from the CHL couldn't play in the AHL if they were under 20 years old, and Korchinski was 18 years old. (Note: that rule will change next season)

Some prospects thrive by getting thrown into the fire in the NHL, like Anton Frondell. But defensemen are different, and their development typically takes more patience. Also, he is only 22 years old.

Since joining the Blackhawks' organization, Korchinski has built up a good resume playing a majority with the IceHogs over the last two seasons. He has been an AHL All-Star twice, racking up 53 points in 109 games during his time.

He had looks with the Blackhawks, especially during the last two months of the season, at times when Wyatt Kaiser, Artyom Levshunov, and Matt Grzelcyk were dealing with injuries.

Korchinski was mainly a third-pairing defenseman, paired with Ethan Del Mastro (who is also waiting to be re-signed as an RFA).

Last season with the Blackhawks, he had two points in 13 games. He has a lot of offensive upside, including what he could provide on special teams. His game, in general, fits what the Blackhawks like, with his great skating and two-way ability. His defense could sometimes get him into trouble. But there's no denying the skill is there.

Blackhawks want to see Korchinski's best still to come

Head coach Jeff Blashill said about Korchinski, "It's important for all our young D, and certainly him included, to kind of get the opportunity to... you know, the injury is unfortunate to Grzelcyk. But this gives him an opportunity to show, you know, (how) he can help us win hockey games... So, when he plays his best, to me, he's a guy who uses his feet to break the puck out and then hit to make really good passes. Like, that's where I think he does his best. Uses his feet to defend. You know... we don't need him to necessarily be a guy who's taking it end to end. Nobody does that in the league. You know, there's maybe two defensemen that do that in the league. Use your feet as a breakout machine and move the puck to the open guy. And he's done a pretty good job of that.”

In exit interviews, Korchinski said about next season, "Yeah, obviously, gonna be a big offseason. Got things (we're going to) work on, and yeah, just come to camp with swagger, trying to prove I belong, and just have a good summer, good camp, and get things rolling."

Opportunity will be key for him next season, as the defense is crowded with Alex Vlasic, Bowen Byram, Sam Rinzel, Kaiser, Levshunov, Ian Cole, and then him and Del Mastro. So, he will have to compete.

Nightingale said about Korchinski in June, "I thought Korch… he had a really good start to the year. You know, it takes a while. What I love about Korch, he’s just an unbelievable human. Wants to get better. It was tough- he was up and down a few times there. And then stretches when we were quite thin. You know, we asked a lot of Korch, but… you never questioned his attitude and effort…He's somebody that we're not giving up on… He's a joy to work with. I think (Josh) MacNevin, our d-coach, did a really good job. But he's a guy that has to take a step. He's entering his fourth year pro, so we're expecting a lot.”

Korchinski wants to prove himself. The Blackhawks want nothing more than to see him establish himself, and he can force those opportunities to do so this fall.

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