Will The Blackhawks To Let 1st-Round Pick Walk In July?

 

The Chicago Blackhawks have made a decision to trade prospect Jack Pridham to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the forward core being overcrowded, finding a spot in the Blackhawks lineup might be difficult for someone being projected as a third-line forward in the NHL. 

This follows another tough decision after the Lightning snagged prospect Dominic James beforehand. The wealth of riches has overwhelmed a team that is having trouble signing prospects. 

Now, the last debacle for general manager Kyle Davidson has arisen, with the seventh overall pick in 2022, Kevin Korchinski. 

After playing 76 games his rookie season in the NHL (2023-24), scoring 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists), he'd play only 16 games as a Blackhawk in 2024-25 as evidence showed he needed further development in the minors. 

I don’t think Korchinski has much value right now. If you’re another team, you’re probably thinking, first, it’s not a given he can consistently play in the NHL, and, second, he has to be put through waivers if you want to develop him in the AHL. The Blackhawks may not want to give up on Korchinski too soon, but it would be equally risky for a team to acquire him.

Korchinski played 13 games in the NHL this season, scoring 2 points, with 13:38 TOI, and a 47.4 CF%. 

Now, as free agency rolls around, the Blackhawks have a solid blueline with plenty of depth to build around, and may have to decide who will be the odd man out. 

But, with Korchinski's diminished trade value, Scott Powers of The Athletic believes that the team will let defenseman Ethan Del Mastro be assigned to Rockford to start the season. 

I do think Del Mastro is likely the odd man out to start the season. They were hoping to see more at the end of the season, and he probably wasn’t good enough. I assume he’ll get through waivers and can be assigned to Rockford. 

Del Mastro played the majority of the season in the AHL, scoring 18 points in 45 games for the Rockford IceHogs. 

In 45 career NHL games, Del Mastro has played an average time on ice of 16:33, with a Corsi-for percentage of 46.6%. He was drafted 105th overall in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, and has yet to find a spot in the Blackhawks lineup ahead of Wyatt Kaiser and Korchinski himself. 

Del Mastro has no contract with the Blackhawks, and without a qualifying offer from the team, he's bound for free agency. 

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