Going into the 2023-24 season, there was plenty of discussion among fans and followers of the Chicago Blackhawks as to how their top draft pick, not yet 20 years old, would perform against grown men in the NHL.
And no, for once, we’re not talking about Connor Bedard. Kevin Korchinski, the 2022 seventh-overall pick, was likely going to stay with the big club this season, but there are no guarantees in professional sports. It was up to the 19-year-old to earn his spot in the first nine games of the season or be sent back down to the Western Hockey League (WHL)’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
But nine games into the season, Korchinski is here to stay, putting his three-year, entry-level contract into effect when he steps onto the ice to face the Florida Panthers on Nov. 4. The question is: now what?
Lack of Attention Has Benefitted Korchinski
Any other season, a defenseman this young trying to crack an NHL roster would have been the top story for the Blackhawks. But this ain’t any other season. The Bedard Hype Train in Chicago has given the team more attention than any squad with a 3-6-0 record deserves.
Having said that, all the oxygen being taken by Bedard is a benefit for Korchinski. If the young blueliner makes a mistake — or multiple mistakes — there isn’t a gaggle of reporters or a thousand bloggers writing about what’s wrong with him and how fast can they put him on a plane to Seattle.
Related: Blackhawks’ 3 Up, 3 Down: Bedard, Reichel, Vlasic & More
While there have been some hiccups and growing pains early on, Korchinski has held his own to start his NHL career. The rookie defenseman is second on the team in time on ice with 19:49, also good for second in the league among rookie defensemen (Brock Faber is averaging a staggering 23:37 with the Minnesota Wild). He’s second on the team in time on ice at even-strength with 17:06, and is getting shifts on the team’s second power-play unit (more on that later).
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That’s why it came as no surprise when head coach Luke Richardson said it’s “safe to assume” Korchinski will remain with the Blackhawks.
“We haven’t talked about it much,” Richardson said on Nov. 1. “(Kevin has) played great, so no conversation means he’s probably not going anywhere.”
Korchinski has had more than 20 minutes of time on ice in four of his nine games, and after being put on the top defensive pairing with veteran blueliner Seth Jones, expect that number to increase.
Korchinski is Already the Team’s Best Offensive Defenseman
After watching Korchinski this season, it’s obvious that he’s the best offensive defenseman on the roster. His even-strength Corsi For percentage of 49.4 ranks second on the team behind Jones, and is well above the team’s 44.8 percent average so far. He leads the team in unblocked shot attempts with 115 (the stat is called Fenwick, if we want to use the good china for dinner and get fancy).
But hey, don’t take my word for it. Bleacher Nation’s Tab Bamford feels the same way.
Why Keep Korchinski with the Blackhawks? Because, frankly, he’s been the Blackhawks’ best offensive defenseman. Are there times he still makes a rookie mistake? Absolutely! But he’s learning the speed and physicality of the pro game right now and he’s comfortable. There’s nothing about a return to the WHL that’s going to help his development at this point.
Water is Wet, the Sun Rises in the East, and Kevin Korchinski is Staying With the Blackhawks, Bleacher Nation, Oct. 30, 2023
Isn’t it nice when smart people agree with you? Like Bamford said, there’s going to be growing pains. But what’s stood out to me is how calm he is with the puck, how comfortable he is carrying it through the neutral zone and creating a forecheck opportunity with a dump-in, or how he sees a breakout won’t work and skates back into his zone to restart the play.
Related: Blackhawks Should Keep Kevin Korchinski in the NHL
Forget the first pass out of the defensive zone, how many defensemen in the league can gain possession in the offensive zone and make the first pass to a teammate to set up a scoring chance?
These high-IQ decisions aren’t really something you can coach into a player, especially one so young; they’re examples of something you either have or don’t have.
It’s Time to Put Korchinski on the Top Power Play Unit
The beginning of an NHL regular season generates plenty of power play opportunities for teams, as players are still adapting to the speed of the game, often hooking and holding and tripping their way into the penalty box. Even with all the talent their generational phenom in Bedard has, the Blackhawks only have three power-play goals in nine games, good enough for a 9.1 percent success rate with the man advantage, the second-worst rate in the league.
That’s why it’s time to replace Jones with Korchinski on the top power-play unit. You can call this a knock against Jones, but the 29-year-old hasn’t done a good enough job of anchoring the Blackhawks’ man advantage. In 2023, power plays require flow and movement with excellent passing, and nine games in, Chicago’s PP1 looks stagnant, slow, and at times, uninspired.
I wrote this in the preseason:
(Korchinski’s) above-average speed and hands of a skilled winger pair nicely with his 6-foot-3 frame, and someday, he’ll anchor a power play … Jones has nearly 400 points in over 700 games in the NHL, but Korchinski might end up being better offensively.
Blackhawks’ Surprise Standouts of 2023-24 Preseason, The Hockey Writers, Oct. 3, 2023
I didn’t expect it to take effect a month later. It’s clear that Korchinski’s skating and offensive ability are ahead of Jones, and with the team’s power-play percentage in single digits, it’s time for a change. What sealed it for me was this pass from Korchinski to Bedard on the Blackhawks’ lone goal in an 8-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 30.
Look at that! Is that not EXACTLY the type of high-skill, cross-ice pass you would expect on the power play? Couple that with left-handed Korchinski making a tape-to-tape pass to a right-handed Bedard, and to paraphrase Logan Roy, “They’ve got some juice.” Don’t forget, that was five-on-five; imagine what they could do with the man advantage.
Related: Blackhawks and Bedard Look For Improvement in November
Bamford is in agreement: “(I)f we’re going full throttle into the future, let’s get that party started with the two teenagers on the PP together.” If multiple people who cover this team see the same thing, don’t you think Richardson and the coaching staff have as well?
Fans of the Blackhawks are fully aware of how difficult the rest of this season can and will be. Not every night will look like it did against the Coyotes: you’re going to get hard-fought efforts that result in two points, and you’re going to get efforts that will make you let out an expletive. But when you have a team that possesses as much skill and talent among their youth as the Blackhawks have, you’re going to have nights where Bedard and Korchinski make you say “Wow.”
The Blackhawks might as well give them every opportunity to do so.