Blackhawks sign final RFA to 2-year contract extension

It took until just a couple of weeks before training camp opens, but the Chicago Blackhawks have completed their final piece of offseason business, re-signing RFA defenseman Kevin Korchinski to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Saturday.

The pact carries a $1.325 million average annual value, with the 22-year-old set to make $2.65 million in total over the life of the deal.

Korchinski recorded two assists in 13 regular-season games with the Blackhawks in 2025-26. He spent most of the campaign with the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs, posting 26 points on two goals and 24 assists over 53 games.

The former seventh-overall pick has 19 points in 105 career NHL games, scoring six goals and adding 13 assists since making his debut during the 2023-24 season.

Korchinski was selected by Chicago with the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft after an excellent junior career with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. He exploded for 73 points in just 54 games during the 2022-23 campaign, helping Seattle win the WHL championship before the Thunderbirds fell to the Quebec Remparts in the Memorial Cup Final.

He also represented Team Canada at the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship, recording four points in seven games while helping the Canadians capture a gold medal.

Despite his strong junior resume, Korchinski has struggled to establish himself as a full-time NHL defenseman.

He played all 76 games as a rookie in 2023-24, finishing with five goals and 15 points while struggling to a minus-39 rating. The following season, he appeared in just 16 NHL games and spent most of the year in Rockford, where he recorded 27 points in 56 contests.

Korchinski once again spent the majority of 2025-26 with the IceHogs, but he continued to produce offensively in the minors. His 26 points ranked second among Rockford defensemen, while his 24 assists also placed second among the team’s blueliners. He was selected to his second straight AHL All-Star Classic.

Now, the Blackhawks are betting on the former top prospect to finally put it all together.

Chicago has plenty invested in its young defensive core, and Korchinski still has time to develop into the puck-moving defenseman the organization envisioned when it selected him early in 2022.

The two-year deal gives him another opportunity to prove he belongs in the NHL full-time. Whether he can take that next step and earn a more consistent role with the Blackhawks will be one of the more intriguing developments to watch when the 2026-27 season gets underway.