Blackhawks Still Waiting on RFA Deals for Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro as 2026-27 Looms

The Chicago Blackhawks have two restricted free agents, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro, still without signed contracts heading into the next NHL season window. The hold-up matters because, under the league’s restricted free-agent structure, Chicago must reach agreements with both players if it intends to have them under contract before the 2026-27 season begins.

Korchinski and Del Mastro are both defensemen, and their unresolved status effectively freezes part of the Blackhawks’ long-term roster planning. Even when teams and players are aligned on overall direction, contract negotiations can linger for reasons that are less about talent and more about valuation, term, and timing. Until a contract is finalized, the team’s ability to lock in pairings and defensive roles becomes more complicated.

One reason these negotiations can drag is the range of ways a team can structure a deal for a young or developing defenseman. A contract is not only about average annual value, but also about term length and the certainty it provides for both sides. If Chicago and the players’ representatives are still assessing how those figures match future expectations, the signing process can extend, especially when the organization is building a defensive core it wants to hold together over multiple seasons.

Another factor is roster and salary management. NHL teams operate under a hard ceiling, which means that any new money committed to RFAs can affect flexibility elsewhere, including how the club approaches other internal contracts or additional offseason needs. The Blackhawks, like all teams, must balance the cost of securing their own young players against the available space that keeps the rest of the roster workable.

A third issue is the practical timing of contract certainty relative to the start of the season. If a team plans to rely on specific players in defined defensive assignments, it often prefers those roles to be settled well before training camp and the early season stretch. When negotiations are still ongoing, teams may avoid locking in certain plans, not because the players are not valued, but because the final contractual terms determine how and when the player is fully committed within the organization’s budgeting and lineup projections.

For Korchinski and Del Mastro, the situation keeps their futures tied to Chicago’s willingness to finalize terms before the season begins. For fans, the immediate question is whether the Blackhawks will be able to complete both RFAs promptly enough to reduce uncertainty around their defensive depth and pairing plans.

What to watch next is straightforward: any movement toward completed deals for either Korchinski or Del Mastro would clarify Chicago’s blue-line commitments for 2026-27. If negotiations continue without closure, it is likely the club will have to manage roster planning and usage decisions with more caution during the early stages of the season.