NEWSLETTER
On Wednesday morning, the Blackhawks announced the organization has signed their top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, defenseman Kevin Korchinski, to his entry-level contract.
As we noted a few weeks ago, the Blackhawks were among the last teams to sign their top pick from this summer’s draft. Indeed, Korchinski is the eighth player in the top ten overall picks to sign.
Which is important.
Very important.
It feels crazy to start talking about “legacy” with a general manager who’s been in the job for only a few months. But Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson will have a significant part of his legacy tied to Korchinski for a number of reasons.
The Trade
First, let’s remember how Davidson got the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He traded Alex DeBrincat, a 24-year-old star and one of the leading goal scorers in the NHL during his career, to Ottawa for the pick. The Blackhawks reportedly had Korchinski circled, highlighted and bold on their draft board as a NEED TO HAVE, which is they they prioritized a top-ten pick in any deal that moved DeBrincat.
They made the blockbuster trade, which raised plenty of eyebrows. The total package Davidson received for DeBrincat was the seventh overall pick (Korchinski) a second-round pick (No. 39 overall – Paul Ludwinski) and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Which, to many, felt light for a player who had multiple 40-goal seasons on his resume before his 25th birthday.
But, again, the Blackhawks made Korchinski a priority.
The Pick
Korchinski was the first pick of the three Davidson acquired in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. He was also the first pick Davidson’s new front office made in the draft, making Korchinski the first player he’s responsible for selecting as general manager.
We don’t need to go back through Stan Bowman’s history as GM and how he handled his first-round picks, but it’s safe to summarize his draft history as… renting first rounders. The overwhelming majority of Bowman’s first-round picks between 2010-20 have been traded and barely made an impact on the Blackhawks at the NHL level.
We’ve seen Davidson sign a number of recent picks since he became the interim and, eventually, permanent general manager. But all of them were Bowman picks (yes, with Davidson in that front office but not as the guy).
Again, Korchinski is the first pick made by Davidson’s front office. The two will indelibly be tied together.
The Development
We’ve heard a lot from the Blackhawks’ new front office about the lengths they’re willing to go to making sure they develop their new crop of prospects the right way. They’re going to be patient and allow players a more appropriate amount of time to be really ready for the NHL when they get the call.
We saw some of that play out during the last season. Davidson allowed Ian Mitchell to spend an entire year at the AHL level playing top-pair minutes and an increased role on special teams. And, while they burned the first year of his entry-level deal, they also kept Lukas Reichel in Rockford for an extended period to get him more seasoning in a significant role.
Korchinski being Davidson’s first pick in the draft will add scrutiny to how the Blackhawks’ development plan plays out. He’s expected to get more time in the WHL with Seattle before making the jump to Rockford and, eventually, Chicago.
But the amount of time he needs — and, the amount of time the organization allows it to take — will be something everyone will be watching.
The plan has been put in place and the Blackhawks have started acting on Davidson’s vision. There is more dust to settle as the organization embarks on a true rebuild, and more players will leave at some point. But the announcement that Davidson has signed Korchinski is a significant landmark on the roadmap Chicago’s GM is developing to get the team back to championship contention.
