Two key NHL rookies aren’t heading back to junior any time soon.
Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told the media on Tuesday afternoon that rookie forward Matthew Poitras will stick with the big club for now. The news comes after Chicago Blackhawks bench boss Luke Richardson said the same about Kevin Korchinski, meaning both players will remain active after completing their nine-game trial runs.
Poitras, 19, has three goals and five points in nine games with the Bruins this year. As soon as he plays his 10th NHL game of the season, the first year of Poitras’ NHL entry-level contract will kick in with an annual average value of $870,000. Had he been sent down before his 10th game, which will likely come Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, his deal would have slid to next year.
That means Poitras is unlikely to head back to the OHL’s Guelph Storm for the time being. And it makes sense, given his solid production – mixed in with a 55.23 expected goals-for percentage and 52.76 Corsi-for percentage at even strength. Drafted 54th overall in 2022, Poitras has defied all expectations so far in his career, highlighted by a 79-assist, 95-point run with the Storm in 2022-23. His inclusion on the Bruins’ opening night roster likely seemed unlikely heading into training camp, but an excellent preseason made the decision to keep him around an easy one.
For Korchinski, the seventh overall pick in 2022 has done an excellent job playing top-four minutes with the Blackhawks. He holds a 49.4 percent Corsi share at 5-on-5, far above the team’s 44.8 percent average early on. He hasn’t found the back of the net yet, but he has three assists to his credit, including one in an 8-1 loss to Arizona on Monday. Korchinski holds a cap hit of $918,300.
The 19-year-old blueliner was a big part of the Seattle Thunderbirds’ Memorial Cup run last year. He also played top-four minutes with Canada en route to a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship as a highlight to an already impressive season. Both players could still return to their respective CHL clubs at some point. There’s also the chance for both to join Canada at the world juniors for training camp starting on Dec. 10, with the tournament kicking off on Dec. 26. That’s still a long time away, but it’s hard to argue that both don’t deserve to be full-time NHLers at this point.
More must-reads: