I've been trying to tell everyone that they intend to give him a long look at center and no one believed me.

Also, I think prospect camp confirmed my belief that Korchinski will go back to the WHL this year. If they aren't keeping him up for 10 games and burning a year of his deal, there isn't much benefit to keeping him up in the NHL beyond training camp. If they want him to "get NHL experience", I think letting him play up until the very last preseason game would be beneficial enough. That way he'll get a look at rosters that are a lot closer to being complete.

Hopefully the work Reichel supposedly did this summer pays off. He needs to be a whole lot better defensively and at the dot to stick at C. But if ever there was a time to try this, it's this season. Still think Reichel ends up on a W long term.

Wonder if he can stick there. He's said before its his preferred position and his net front game is surprisingly good given his frame.

I think he proved last year that he can play wing. This is the perfect year to let him try center, give him an extended look, and see how he takes to it. If he sucks, send him back to wing and no damage done. But I'm sure he and his agent want him to play center, they typically get paid more.

Bedard won't play first line center. McDavid didn't even do that during his rookie year.

I'm a fan of Reichel since his draft year. So long as he has linemates that can play well off/support his cycle game, his board play, effort, and positioning should allow him to play C at the NHL level. I don't think AA is that kind of player. As for FOs, those can always be supplemented by a W with FO experience (Foligno or Johnson).

Foligno- Reichel- Raddysh sounds like the right mix of talents behind Hall- Bedard- ???. Not sure who to make the 3rd man but would be tempted to give Kurashev a decent shot there. Has he ever had a real shot at a skill line before?

EDM also had FAR more talent at the time than CHI has now. After a short AHL stint for Drai, their early season lines were built around duos of Hall-Drai, Nuge-Eberle, and Pouliot-McDavid. Once he returned from injury, he was absolutely the top line C with Pouliot/Maroon & Eberle.

Ooofff you're a true fan, you remember that season all too well. Respect.

Prospect camp confirmed your belief about Korchinski? I think if anything, prospect camp the the games confirmed he is going to be with the Hawks. He clearly the best, besides Bedard, guy on the ice in the prospect game.

I disagree. But I guess training camp will show us more.

I would also add that I believe a lot depends on Vlasic, Kaiser, Phillips and Roos in how they perform. If korchinski isn't much ahead of those guys then he goes back to the juniors. If he's shoulders and heads above all of them or all but one, he probably sticks in the pros.

I can see Athanasiou and Reichel swapping throughout the season between left wing and center, with Raddysh on the right.

Yeah. That is reasonable. I just think that, even if he "could" technically play now, there is a lot he could learn in the WHL if he were to focus on specifics. Also, I think the opportunity is here now to sort through the guys knocking on the door, like Vlasic, Kaiser, Phillips, and Roos. That way when they do insert Korchinski full time (which would be next season, IMO), they have somewhat solidified 2 or 3 of them into roles, and given the rest an opportunity to showcase what they can do and maybe garner some trade interest, so they can benefit by going somewhere they will have an opportunity and not get buried in rockford or whatever.

That could have the added benefit of CHI getting something for them before they just walk away or get claimed on waivers or get something mediocre because they weren't provided the opportunity to showcase their abilities and then end up being a huge piece for another team while we are back in CHI thinking "man, we shouldn't have traded that guy" or "we should've got more for him". Maximizing their value, to put it more simply. I think it is a strategic way to work through prospects without creating unnecessary road blocks, and would be more likely to help Korch in the long run than hurt him. Essentially, I want to have a better idea of what these other guys are going to be before inserting the future number one defenseman into the equation.

Also, having the other guys more well established at playing against NHL talent would make them more effective and take some pressure off of Korch having to be "the man" instantly. As we've seen with all the players Bowman rushed to the NHL, that pressure can be very detrimental to their development and cause the fan base to get upset which can ruin a players confidence, etc. etc.

Idk... Maybe he is the kind of guy that can thrive under that kind of pressure, and maybe he can play now and the rest will come with time. But, I just don't think there is any reason to rush him and the pro's of sending him back to the WHL more than likely outweigh the con's.

Edit: I could also just be overthinking it. Which is completely realistic. haha

I get your point for sure. I'm just concerned about a year wasted in the juniors for Korch. Even if he's only playing 12 to 15 minutes a night in the NHL, the value of being around professionals, training, working with the coaching staff, etc. IMO is more valuable then spending another year in the juniors playing 20 minutes a night. So much work is done outside of games and off the ice, and the adjustments are big. As an example, living with Murphy or Seth Jones alone could go miles towards his development including learning to eat, sleep, workout correctly.

But, your point is valid with the way the Hawks rushed Boqvist and Dach. Additionally, I think Vlasic is pretty much a lock, but I personally like Phillips a lot as well and no reason not to give Roos some ice time. Needless to say, it's a good situation to be in.

Definitely a good situation to be in. And they seem to be doing it right, taking their time, being patient, not getting distracted. Such a breath of fresh air to be arguing about these kinds of things rather than the unnecessary decline of a dynasty at the hands of Bowman and his lack of attention span and poor negotiating skills.