There is one preseason game left for the Blackhawks, and they have yet to find a defenceman who can run the second powerplay unit.
Artyom Levshunov is the natural first choice. As an offensive defenceman and recent second overall pick, Levshunov is expected to succeed on the powerplay.
The 20-year-old was given plenty of opportunity to run the powerplay last season, and never quite figured it out.
“Arty’s shown me a lot of confidence with the exception of when he gets on that power play, so we’re going to have to work through it with him.” Jeff Blashill knows he has a young, offensively gifted defenceman who needs time to learn. But with the Blackhawks trying to turn the page in the rebuild, they needed someone who can run the powerplay now.
The addition of Bowen Byram takes the pressure of Levshunov to run the first unit. However, in a small sample size running unit two this preseason, it seems Levshunov’s struggles on the man advantage are still prominent.
The same can be said of Sam Rinzel, who has also been given plenty of opportunity.
This is where Kevin Korchinski enters the conversation. The 2022 seventh overall pick has had a rocky development path, to say the least. After a full season in the NHL at the age of 19, which in hindsight was probably the wrong choice, Korchinski has spent the last two seasons maturing in the AHL.
In that time, Korchinski has put up 53 points in 109 games, played 20+ minutes a night, including top powerplay time, as well as penalty kill time.
It seems that the 22-year-old is finally ready to make the jump to the NHL. Korchinski had a brief stint with the Blackhawks to end last season, where he played his best hockey at the NHL level. Korchinski picked up right where he left off to start training camp and the preseason.
Korchinski has certainly given the Blackhawks a lot to think about, and depending on how much the Blackhawks value preseason performances, Korchinski could very well end up taking a spot.