The Chicago Blackhawks still can't find a way to use Kevin Korchinski.
On a team full of young talent, the promising defenseman has still found his way on the outside looking in more often than not this season. The Blackhawks keep scratching him rather than playing him.
It's clear that Korchinski is in a bit of a doghouse, or at least out of favor. And it's not clear how a player in that spot can get out of it — if everyone stays healthy and plays OK, the Blackhawks don't have immediate need to change anything.
That has raised Korchinski as a trade candidate in the early going this season. Nothing has been reported as imminent, but it's something that NHL analysts have begun to keep an eye on.
Korchinski surfaced as a trade rumor on Tuesday when The Athletic's Chris Johnston included him on his trade board.
There'd be some uncertainty about what Korchinski could provide another team given that he's not playing at the moment, but he certainly could end up somewhere with more opportunity than Chicago.
"Now three years removed from his rookie NHL season, Korchinski is still struggling to get into the Blackhawks lineup," Johnston writes. "His strongest attributes are on the offensive side of the puck, which has made it difficult to gain the coach's trust. Korchinski is a strong skater who likes to carry the puck up ice but is occasionally guilty of being too aggressive when making plays. He requires waivers to be sent to the AHL and is currently caught in no-man's land while watching most of Chicago's games as a healthy scratch."
The fact that Korchinski would have to be waived to go to the AHL really is a bummer — he's legitimately stuck without any way to really do anything unless given an opportunity.
A report earlier in October from the Chicago Tribune included this paragraph to start explaining things:
"It's obvious (coach Jeff) Blashill doesn't trust the young defenseman to join the top six yet. That was evident last season when (Ethan) Del Mastro was recalled from Rockford weeks before Korchinski in the wake of injuries to Artyom Levshunov and Matt Grzelcyk."
The Blackhawks have trusted a lot of youngsters, but at this point, not Korchinski.
"Both Blashill and Davidson have preached that the Hawks need to develop their young talent into NHL-ready players for the foreseeable future," the Chicago Tribune writes. "But how can they do that if a young player doesn't see the ice? Mistakes will happen with the youngest team in the league. Blashill has noted this, (including) about 21-year-old forward Nick Lardis' slow start."
At this point, Korchinski has to be patient. He has no other choice.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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