Heading toward the Olympic break, the Chicago Blackhawks are five points from a wild card spot in the NHL playoff race; a far cry from what fans thought would be a long, dreary season toward yet another top-five lottery draft pick. With that in mind, if one were to prognosticate, ultimately this team will likely finish on the outside looking in. With four teams ahead of them in the standings and a condensed schedule that will not get any easier, it will be a tall task to make the postseason.
With eyes on the future, though, there is plenty to like about where the Hawks currently are. Oliver Moore has shown he is an NHL-caliber player, Tyler Bertuzzi has already tallied 25 goals, defensemen Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier are now proven assets, having exceeded expectations this year, Spencer Knight is and will continue to be the Hawks’ No. 1 goalie for years to come, and Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar are now back from injury and hopefully, after getting some time to reset after the Olympic break, will return to the forms that made them real weapons at the start of the season. And lastly, despite grumblings from the fan base when he makes a young error, Artyom Levshunov is one of the most promising defensive prospects in the game. He’s the real deal.
More help is on the way, too, as prospects Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, Sacha Boisvert and a few others may ink deals with the Blackhawks and see action as early as this spring. Kyle Davidson’s plan is in effect, and while time will tell how quickly the Hawks will return to the NHL’s elite, Chicago’s hockey team will certainly be a fun follow over the next few years.
No plan is flawless, but with a plethora of talent up front, currently in Chicago or arriving soon, sure, more offensive output could be welcomed, yet when looking on the back end, though, the need for an additional left-handed defenseman seems to be more and more critical.
Wyatt Kaiser has taken a big jump in his play this year and could be a core piece of the Chicago Blackhawks’ future. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)
Kaiser has been largely terrific this season, earning all, if not more, of his two-year contract worth $1.7 million per season. He is steady, much improved, has great gap control and has proven many doubters, this author included, that he is a bonafide NHL defenseman. Though his game could still grow, as can the game of Alex Vlasic, who one can say has been, well, “fine” this year, relying on those two to be the team’s one and two left-sided rearguards for when this team is attempting to compete for a Stanley Cup could limit the team’s potential. That is not to say that Kaiser or Vlasic do not belong — they certainly do. They are pieces to the team’s future, good ones at that, but given their styles, when you see this team going for the grail, likely one but not both of them should be in second-pair roles on the blue line. It is not a knock on them, just a reality. The Hawks are an elite left-handed, puck-moving defenseman away from having one of the league’s best future defensive units, and they should not settle for anything less.
Matt Grzelcyk, who has been a nice fit this season, will likely not be with the team next year and this could be his last season in the NHL. He has defied the odds being an undersized defenseman and he has had a tremendous hockey career, but unfortunately, this is likely his last stop.
On the right side, the scenario is quite different. Levshunov is the Hawks’ No. 1 defenseman of the future and could be elite as early as next season. While many, myself included, expected Sam Rinzel to be a mainstay this year, the play of both Crevier and Connor Murphy enabled the Hawks to give Rinzel some much-needed seasoning in Rockford. With Rinzel’s size, skating ability and lateral movement, one would expect him to be in the top four for the Hawks, likely next year. If you doubt that, you are welcome to, but it’s there for Rinzel and he will be a weapon. Crevier will be huge, literally and figuratively, as a bottom-paring stalwart for years to come.
The case for Kevin Korchinski
It seems as though Kevin Korchinski went from sure-fire cornerstone of the Hawks’ future to a wild card of sorts in the span of a couple of years. The 2022 seventh overall draft pick has already amassed 188 games as a professional and half of those have been in the NHL. He turns 22 in June, and to completely write him off at this point of career does not make a ton of sense. The two-time AHL all-star has and may see a few more games with the big club later this season.
Kevin Korchinski’s development used to be a question of “when;” now it’s a question of “if.” (Photo courtesy of Matt Marton / Imagn Images)
We are nearly four years removed from his draft year, though, and if you looked back to 2022, by the beginning of 2026, you may have thought that Korchinski would have made more significant “NHL-level” strides by now. Truthfully, he hasn’t. He can move the puck, but his strength, gaps and angles are not NHL caliber at this point, and with his puck-moving style, you will not see him as a rugged, penalty-killing bottom-pairing defenseman. Many, myself included, wanted to see Korchinski or perhaps Ethan Del Mastro stand out in training camp to earn a roster spot in October. Neither of them did, and in the case of Korchinski, as of this moment, it is beginning to feel like “if” as opposed to “when” he is going to be part of the core moving forward.
The case for the draft
The Blackhawks could very well address this in the draft, as with two first-round picks in the 2026 Draft, there will be ample options in their wheelhouse for what could be a top-10 pick, as well as an additional first-round choice later on courtesy of the Florida Panthers and the Seth Jones-Spencer Knight trade. In the weeks to come, you will hear from The Rink names and analysis on hopefuls such as Carson Carels, Alberts Smits and others in terms of who the Hawks may be targeting at this position.
If the Hawks do take this approach, then they buy some time to see if Korchinski is their guy, can focus on Kaiser’s extension (restricted free agent in 2027) and keep on keeping on, building through prospects and the draft. Seems simple, but is it?
The problem here is that anything less than making the playoffs in 2026-27 would and should be considered a failure for Chicago. Considering that a defenseman does take time to develop if Korchinski isn’t it, and you are taking the time to develop a mid-first round pick, it could be another message to the fan base of “hurry up and wait,” a sentiment that simply cannot go on for much longer.
The case for acquisition
There are top-four defensemen out there and few teams have the draft capital and bargaining chips of prospects that the Hawks do to swing a good deal. That’s a fact. Particularly in their mix of forwards, the Hawks are going to literally run out of room in the next couple of years in their prospect pool, as they cannot keep them all. Chicago has two first-round picks and a luxury of three second-round picks in the 2026 Draft. They have ample assets to offer to a team looking toward their future.
A possible trading partner to consider could be the Ottawa Senators. The Sens have had a miserable season with difficult publicity and an unexpected nose dive in their play. Due to the league invalidating their 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Sens have forfeited their 2026 first-round pick, and they do not currently possess an abundance of quality prospects. Should they choose to retool, left-handed top-four defensemen such as Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot, both still young in their careers, could be very appealing to Davidson. The likelihood of the Senators being willing to move the 23-year-old Sanderson is slim, but the 28-year-old Chabot at an $8 million cap hit through 2028 is more than reasonable and would be a huge addition.
With the Ottawa Senators reeling and in need of picks and prospects, Thomas Chabot could be a player worth targeting via trade. (Photo courtesy of Chris Tanouye / Freestyle Photography / Getty Images)
There are others to look at, such as Ivan Provorov of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who recently fired head coach Dean Evason. But with the recent cap increase and it being set to increase again, summer free agency frenzies will be on hold for a few years. The idea of signing a premier free-agent defender will be very challenging, and the only way to look outside will be via trade, which Chicago truly needs to consider.
This year, expect the Blackhawks to miss the playoffs again, but they have taken strides. They will be in the mix next season no matter how they handle the left side of the blue line. Yet, for the Hawks to get back to the promised land, be the best that they can be and be a year in, year out Cup contender, Davidson and company will need to make some tough decisions and the future of the blue line is no exception to that.