I’ve seen this brought up on social media a few times, so it’s worth addressing. Why haven’t the Blackhawks announced a contract for Kevin Korchinski or Ethan Del Mastro yet? They both received a qualifying offer from the Hawks in June. Those QOs automatically expired on July 15, 2026 unless the Blackhawks specifically asked for an extension. Neither of them was arbitration eligible. But both would require waivers to be assigned to Rockford at this point.
For what it’s worth, last year Wyatt Kaiser received a qualifying offer of $874,125 but then signed a two-year, $3.4M contract on Sept. 17. Louis Crevier received a qualifying offer of $813,750 but then signed a two-year, $1.8M contract in mid-July.
The Blackhawks didn’t have the blue line depth at that time that they do now with the additions of veterans Bowen Byram and Ian Cole. With Chicago having six defensemen on the NHL roster, Korchinski and Del Mastro have little/no leverage.
Korchinski, who turned 22 on June 21, was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Blackhawks traded Alex DeBrincat to get that pick, and it was the first selection made by Kyle Davidson as the permanent general manager of the Blackhawks.
His career path has been far from ideal. Korchinski was brought to the NHL as a 19-year-old and appeared in 76 games in a season that saw the Blackhawks’ blue line devastated by injuries. His rookie year saw predictable struggles, and he’s spent the majority of the past two seasons in Rockford; Korchinski has played in 29 NHL games since his first season, but has been an AHL All-Star in both of the last two seasons.
Korchinski is still developing, but the roster depth around/in front of him makes his draft position less of an important factor. He did look much more confident and comfortable in his call-up at the end of last season.
Del Mastro, 23, was a fourth-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2021 and has appeared in 45 career NHL games. While Korchinski’s game is built on his speed, skating and ability to move the puck, Del Mastro is more of a physical, stay-home player.
Blackhawks defenseman Ethan Del MastroBlackhawks Future Financial Planning
There’s one more piece of this puzzle that we have to keep in mind. While the Blackhawks have six defensemen on the NHL roster right now, four of them are entering the final/only year of their current contract.
Cole signed a one-year deal and will be a UFA in 2027. Meanwhile, Kaiser, Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel will be RFAs next summer. All three of those young Blackhawks is eligible to sign an extension now.
With the Blackhawks giving the largest AAV contract in franchise history out twice already this summer — first to Byram and then to Connor Bedard — the escalating cost of the Blackhawks’ roster is going to be important for the front office to manage meticulously moving forward.
As we’ve talked about, the Blackhawks also have a long list of RFA forwards who will need new paper next summer, a group headlined by Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene. Landon Slaggert will also be an RFA next summer. Teuvo Teräväinen, Jordan Greenway and Andrew Mangiapane will be UFAs in 2027.
Considering how all of those important pieces fit, prioritizing them both in the longer term roster projection and the financial picture, and getting those deals done undoubtedly impacts negotiations with Korchinski and Del Mastro.
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