Young defenseman answers late call from Golden Knights

The Golden Knights’ young defenseman has to bide his time for now and wait for an opportunity to get into the lineup. When he does, he has to make the most of it.

Just as he did Tuesday when the 23-year-old made his season debut against the Los Angeles Kings in place of defenseman Shea Theodore (illness). Korczak had an assist in 17:22 in the Knights’ 6-1 win.

Korczak has had to buy into the staying-ready mentality now that he’s a full-time NHL player. He’s no longer waivers exempt, meaning the 2019 second-round pick probably would get claimed by another team if the Knights tried to send him to the Silver Knights.

“It’s part of the business now for where I am in my career,” Korczak said. “I just got to keep going.”

Korczak got the call at about 4:50 p.m. that he was going into the lineup.

A “big napper,” as he calls himself, Korczak usually gets in a steady snooze on game day. He didn’t get that chance, which made him nervous that it could throw off his groove.

Korczak had a large cup of coffee on his way to T-Mobile Arena. That was enough to get going. He and defenseman Brayden McNabb were outshot 8-7 while on the ice, but outscored the Kings 1-0. The Knights had an expected goals advantage of 1.26-0.81 with them.

Korczak and McNabb were a steady pair last season when Korczak filled in for Theodore, who missed three months with an upper-body injury. The Knights outscored opponents 13-5 when they were together and outshot teams 128-114.

“Obviously playing with (McNabb) is really easy,” Korczak said. “I have lots of confidence playing with him.”

Tuesday was Korczak’s 38th career game. He has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) and is plus-11 at five-on-five.

Those trends would make Korczak a lock for an everyday spot. But the numbers game doesn’t favor him right now. Theodore participated in an optional practice Wednesday and is expected to return to the lineup Friday against the Ottawa Senators.

That will push Korczak back to watching games from the press box.

The Knights are carrying eight defensemen with Korczak and Ben Hutton as the extras. Hutton, 31, has played 509 NHL games and has his name on the Stanley Cup with the Knights. He’s used to the spot of being ready whenever called upon.

It can be different for a young player, especially one who looks ready like Korczak.

Extra skaters have to go harder in drills because of situations like Tuesday. They can’t, as coach Bruce Cassidy said, have 10 games to get going “because that’s not how the league works.”

“Other teams don’t care. They’re coming at you 100 miles an hour,” Cassidy said. “So you have to find a way to stay mentally sharp. That’s a little bit on you physically, and it’s on (coaches) to make sure you get the reps in practice.”

Reps in practice become more valuable for Korczak, Cassidy said, because he’s not getting the live reps every day. Net-front drills, especially, is where assistant coach John Stevens will work with Korczak and Hutton extensively.

Cassidy knows how it feels.

“As a player, I was in that spot a little over 100 years ago,” he said jokingly. “It’s hard for a coach to be on you. Especially for a young player.

“It’s not a switch you can turn on and off. That’s the challenge for the younger guys. It’s why a lot of teams don’t like having a younger guy in that position. But at the end of the day, (Korczak) requires waivers, and he’s a valuable piece. There’s a little bit of that trade-off that he’s going to have to meet us halfway with the coaching piece versus his mental preparation everyday.”

The Knights believe in Korczak. They signed him to a two-year, $1.65 million contract July 1, with general manager Kelly McCrimmon affirming that he’s ready to be an everyday NHL player.

That time is coming, but not right now. Performances like Tuesday’s will help the process.

“I thought (Korczak) played well as the game went along,” Cassidy said. “Good for us to have depth there.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.