One of the lingering items from the Blackhawks offseason agenda was completed on Saturday afternoon, with the team announcing a contract extension for defenseman Kevin Korchinski.
Per the team, it’s a two-year deal worth $1.325 million annually for the former restricted free agent.
KEVIN‼️‼️
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 29, 2026
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Korchinski, who’s still just 22 years old, played the third and final year of his entry-level contract last season, although he spent most of that again in the AHL with the IceHogs. The No. 7 overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft skated one more season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and then skated in 76 games with the 2023-24 Blackhawks, tallying 15 points (5 G, 10 A).
It was a trying debut season for the then-teenager, and his NHL time has been more limited in the two seasons since, with Korchinski appearing 29 times for Chicago since his rookie season with just four points (1 G, 3 A). His ice time has also steadily decreased, peaking at 19:37 per game in his rookie season before decreasing to 17:05 in Chicago two seasons ago and just 13:38 last season. He was one of the more productive blue-liners in Rockford last season, though, with 26 points (2 G, 24 A) in 53 AHL games.
Korchinski did spend the last few weeks of the prior season with Chicago, skating in the final 8 games of the Blackhawks’ schedule with a performance closer to “fine” than any other description, although that would be a noted improvement over some of his other NHL stints. This two-year deal is likely not the final NHL contract for Korchinski but it certainly feels like the time during which the organization will render its final verdict on whether or not he’s part of the long-term picture with this team. That, among several other items, will be one of the key things to watch during the upcoming 84 games.
With Korchinski officially on the books for next season, Ethan Del Mastro is the team’s lone restricted free agent without a contract as training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season is set to begin next month.