Blackhawks re-sign Kevin Korchinski to two-year contract
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms on a new two-year contract with restricted free agent defenseman Kevin Korchinski, the club announced Saturday afternoon.
Per the club release, Korchinski’s new contract will carry a $1.325 million NHL cap hit through the 2027-28 season. The 22-year-old defenseman split the 2025-26 season between the NHL and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs; in 13 games with the Blackhawks, he recorded two assists while averaging 13:38 of ice time.
The Blackhawks originally selected Korchinski with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, using one of the three picks they acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Alex DeBrincat.
A 6’1″ left-shot defender, Korchinski spent the entirety of his junior career with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, winning a league championship and advancing to the Memorial Cup final in 2023. He proceeded directly to the NHL with the Blackhawks in 2023-24, racking up five goals and 15 points but posting a minus-39 rating in 76 games.
In the wake of his uneven rookie season, Korchinski appeared in just 16 games with the Blackhawks in 2024-25 and 13 in 2025-26. He has spent most of the past two seasons with the IceHogs, scoring 27 points in 56 games and adding two goals and two assists in four playoff contests in 2024-25 before amassing 26 points in 53 games in 2025-26.
As he enters his fourth professional season, Korchinski’s standing in the Blackhawks organization is somewhat uncertain. Chicago paid an enormous price to acquire Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres earlier this summer, but beyond him, their blue line has a ton of question marks, with Alex Vlasic their only other regular defender signed beyond the 2026-27 season.
Between Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, Wyatt Kaiser, and Korchinski, the Blackhawks have a lot of untapped potential within their defensive group. But now, as of 2026-27, Korchinski is no longer exempt from waivers, meaning he could become available to the NHL’s other 31 teams if he fails to crack Chicago’s lineup out of training camp.
