Suggested Trade Sees Sharks Land Blackhawks’ Kevin Korchinski

Kevin Korchinski remains without a contract as the 2026-27 season approaches, and while some fans question whether he is ready to take that next step into being a full-time NHL defenseman yet, it is still surprising that the Chicago Blackhawks have yet to give him a new deal that gives him a chance to prove himself.

As he waits for a deal, some fans wonder whether the Blackhawks would consider trading him before training camp begins. They seem to be already set with their current group of defensemen, leaving Korchinski on the outside looking in, and there are still a few teams looking to add to their blue line.

One team that stands out as needing to add to their blue line, despite a lot of moves this offseason already, is the San Jose Sharks. While Luca Cagnoni could be ready to take the next step and take on a full-time role, there is still some risk with giving him an elevated role in a season where they’d like to make a playoff push.

In this article, we take a quick look at a hypothetical trade sending Korchinski to the Sharks. Keep in mind that no reports indicate that the Blackhawks are shopping Korchinski or that the Sharks are looking to make any moves before training camp.

Korchinski Creates Internal Competition With Cagnoni

Cagnoni, who is 21 years old, has just nine games of NHL experience under his belt, where he has notched two assists. He was dominant in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Jose Barracuda last season, where he had 43 points through 67 games, but his lack of experience could justify the Sharks adding someone else to create some internal competition.

That’s where Korchinski would come in. While he only has 29 NHL games under his belt over the last two seasons, he has more experience than Cagnoni, having played 76 games with the Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season, although he was rushed into that position. Through 105 career games, he has scored six goals and added 13 assists for 19 points.

They did add Libor Hajek this offseason, who has 110 games of NHL experience under his belt, but he hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2022-23 season and might be someone who starts in the AHL instead, and bringing someone else in would be a smarter decision.

Acquiring Korchinski Won’t Cost a Lot

Korchinski could benefit from a change of scenery, and everybody involved knows that, but bringing him in still wouldn’t be close to free, considering he was a seventh-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Blackhawks wouldn’t be looking for a lot, but they would still be expecting a decent return.

A hypothetical deal looks like this:

• Sharks Receive: D Kevin Korchinski
• Blackhawks Receive: RW/C Ethan Cardwell, Sharks’ 2029 fourth-round pick, Blackhawks’ own 2028 seventh-round pick

The Blackhawks get a player who can likely fight to make it into their lineup this season, a draft pick, and their own pick in 2028 back. It’s not the most expensive return, but it gives them enough to justify moving on from someone they spent a first-round pick on.

At the end of the day, the Blackhawks trading Korchinski isn’t likely, and the expectation is that he will get a new contract and attend training camp this season. However, if for whatever reason the two sides can’t come to an agreement on a new deal, the Sharks should be a team that are interested in bringing him in.

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