The Chicago Blackhawks are not a winning team. They haven’t been for quite some time now but they have been rebuilding the right way ever since Kyle Davidson took over as the GM of the team.
The farm system is in great shape and there are some good young players in the NHL lineup right now. Of course, they are led by Connor Bedard who was the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He has lived up to his generational talent hype since coming into the league.
Defenseman Kevin Korchinski has been a big part of the rebuild as well. The Hawks made him a 7th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and he made his NHL debut this year along with Bedard.
Although one is a forward and the other is a defenseman, these two are starting to put some chemistry together on the ice.
They were both good with each other at the 2022-23 World Junior Championships playing for Team Canada. They ended up winning the Gold Medal as a team and both of them were a big part of it.
Kevin Korchinski and Connor Bedard are truly great Chicago Blackhawks players
On Thursday night, the Hawks took a beating from the Detroit Red Wings. However, the one goal that they scored will make Blackhawks fans happy. Lukas Reichel scored a goal thanks to a really nice play made by Korchinski and Bedard.
Lukas Reichel on the PP 👊 pic.twitter.com/vooeILGYqE
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 1, 2023
This is one of many examples of these two making big plays together on the ice. Even when they miss, they are creating chances. They believe that they can make an impact on every shift which is great. If they are confident, the rest of the team can follow their lead even though they are the young ones.
Kevin Korchinski couldn't believe he didn't score here.
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 1, 2023
Also, Connor Bedard could easily have 3-4 points tonight. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/mbeYbrTmR6
Another good example is the overtime winner that Korchinski scored set up by Bedard last week against the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a big moment for them as they made a big play together and the team ended a losing streak because of it.
Korchinski wins it in OT! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/yTEAyCOGpx
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 24, 2023
A lot of what Chicago does over the next handful of years is going to be with these two in the middle of it all. It should be a lot of fun watching them grow and develop their game.
On Friday, the league announced that Connor Bedard is the Rookie of the Month for November. He had six goals and six assists for 12 points during that time. He is making such a big impact right away which is exactly what this team needed.
There won’t be a lot of winning down the stretch but that just means another good player will be drafted high in the 2024 draft. As long as these two keep playing well and developing, the Blackhawks will be alright. They are back in action on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets.