NEWSLETTER
As we get ready for the Blackhawks’ prospects to begin practicing for the Tom Kurvers showcase on Wednesday, one of the players who has a tremendous opportunity in front of him in the coming weeks is defenseman Wyatt Kaiser.
As the Blackhawks transition their blue line into a younger group, Kaiser finds himself in a crowded group of left-handed players who are looking to make a strong impression with the coaches. The good news for Kaiser is he was able to make that impression in a brief glimpse last season.
Kaiser, 21, was a third-round pick (No. 81) by the Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Draft. He signed his entry-level deal after a successful junior season at Minnesota-Duluth that saw him establish new career-highs in goals (5), assists (18) and points (23) in 35 games. He jumped straight into the NHL lineup and picked up three assists in nine games down the stretch.
Kaiser presents a fascinating candidacy when we look at the potential mix on the blue line for Luke Richardson’s staff this fall.
The team has already burned the first year of his ELC, and he’s a puck-moving defenseman who showed some good awareness and defensive responsibility in his NHL action. Chicago has a couple players — Alex Vlasic and Isaak Phillips — who are physically bigger players who play a stronger game with some puck-moving ability of their own. They figure to have a good shot at filling two spots the left side of the blue line.
But Kaiser’s ability puts him into a conversation that will be one of the more intriguing in camp and, possibly, into the regular season.
What do the Blackhawks do with Kevin Korchinski?
Korchinski, who profiles as a top-pair defenseman eventually, had a terrific season in junior with Seattle last season. He also looked comfortable in NHL camp and in preseason games last year before heading back. If he looks good again, there’s a chance he makes the NHL roster out of camp.
But… do the Blackhawks keep him for more than nine games and begin the clock on his ELC? Or do they get a look from him in the regular season against NHL lineups (not watered-down preseason rosters) and then allow him to go back to Seattle for another year of development and a chance to play a more significant role for Canada at the World Juniors?
The answer to those questions will likely play the biggest factor in what the Blackhawks do with Kaiser this season. He could follow a similar path as Vlasic, who saw some NHL action after signing out of Boston University two years ago before spending most of last season in Rockford for some additional, professional development. That would serve Kaiser well this year, and might be his best route.
However, if the Blackhawks opt to move Korchinski back to junior for more time, that would open the door for Kaiser to potentially have a role in Chicago.
Looking at Kaiser’s ice time breakdown on Natural Stat Trick, Kaiser was most frequently on the ice at even-strength NHL with Nikita Zaitsev (59:24) last year. He also spent 47:15 on the ice with Connor Murphy and 24:38 with Seth Jones.
Fitting him on a second pair with Murphy would be a solid fit for a young defenseman who plays the game the way Kaiser does coming into the NHL. And those two had good relative success together; they were one shot against under a 50-50 split last season and Chicago scored as many goals (2) as they allowed while they were together on the ice at even strength.
We’ll all be watching Korchinski in camp (and Connor Bedard, of course), but Kaiser could set himself up for a nice start to his NHL career with a strong camp that gives the Blackhawks confidence to roll with him for a full season and allow Korchinski the time to develop for one more year in the WHL.
