The Chicago Blackhawks made waves on draft night in 2022 when they traded Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa for the seventh overall pick, which ultimately became Kevin Korchinski. According to Mike Doneghey, the Blackhawks' director of amateur scouting, his staff had circled Korchinski as a "must-have" prospect. Ottawa would trade DeBrincat later for a decent haul, including a first-round pick, so they didn't lose him for nothing.
At the time, it made a lot of sense: The Blackhawks would be rebuilding, and DeBrincat would not help them tank for Connor Bedard. Korchinski, entering the draft, was known as a smooth-skating defenseman who was responsible in his own end while producing offensively with a +36 and 65 points in 67 games in 2021-2022 and +50 and 73 points in 54 games in 2022-2023.