Kevin Korchinski's lack of success with Blackhawks is alarming

The Chicago Blackhawks made waves on draft night in 2022 when they traded Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa for the seventh overall pick, which ultimately became Kevin Korchinski. According to Mike Doneghey, the Blackhawks' director of amateur scouting, his staff had circled Korchinski as a "must-have" prospect. Ottawa would trade DeBrincat later for a decent haul, including a first-round pick, so they didn't lose him for nothing.

At the time, it made a lot of sense: The Blackhawks would be rebuilding, and DeBrincat would not help them tank for Connor Bedard. Korchinski, entering the draft, was known as a smooth-skating defenseman who was responsible in his own end while producing offensively with a +36 and 65 points in 67 games in 2021-2022 and +50 and 73 points in 54 games in 2022-2023. Great numbers with a ton of potential, Korchinski was immediately the number-one defenseman prospect on the team.

However...

However, his first stint in the NHL was nowhere near impressive (he was rushed; it wasn't a surprise), with 15 points in 76 games and a minus-39 rating (the team had horrible stats here). He was constantly outmatched physically, and his speed and skating couldn't bail him out as they did in juniors. He still showed flashes of the defenseman he could become, but he just couldn't do it consistently. Following this season, Korchinski was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs for further development, where he did even worse statistically, scoring 27 points in 56 games while being a minus-17.

The development he received with the IceHogs, however, has not yielded results, as he seemingly declined. His speed is not at an NHL level, and his defensive play is nowhere near solid at that level. In the AHL, Korchinski has 19 points in 32 games and a minus-12. Not contributing offensively, and almost a liability on defense. His awareness needs a lot of work, given he gave the Washington Capitals a wide-open net to make the score 4-1 when he lay on Drew Commesso, half-heartedly kicking at the puck.

He's still only 21, but...

At 21, I expect high-rated offensive defensemen to begin to come into their own offensively, with the defense still on the mend but overall quite solid and fundamentally sound. Being a top 10 pick in the draft is a huge deal, and when the Blackhawks traded Alex DeBrincat, a ton of expectations followed the pick. I expected Korchinski to be reliable in his own end with his offense in spurts like Artyom Levshunov, where he just controls the play. He should be faster and more confident with the puck, and he should be dominating the AHL by now.

Later picks are outplaying Korchinski for roster spots, with Levshunov taking over what Korchinski's role would have been. The lack of improvement is becoming worrisome, almost as if there has been no improvement since being drafted three years ago. His puck decision-making is questionable at best, giving the Capitals multiple chances through his misplays.

The Blackhawks may label him a "long-term" project, which would make sense. But with the team quickly approaching playoff-contender status, and roles quickly being filled, how long can they realistically wait for Korchinski to realize his potential? He is quickly becoming the next Adam Boqvist, but no injuries to blame for his lack of improvement.