Friday: In an update, the Blackhawks announced that both Seabrook and de Haan have undergone successful surgery. The recovery timeline for de Haan will be four to five months, while Seabrook’s will be revealed after he undergoes additional surgeries on his hips.
Thursday: The status quo in Chicago will shift dramatically when the team returns to action. The Blackhawks have announced that two of their starting defensemen will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. Both Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Seabrook will also have surgery on both hips. The duo have been placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve.
This singular announcement means that one-third of the Blackhawks’ starting blue line is now out of action for the rest of the year. Seabrook and de Haan are not exactly offensive dynamos, combining for just ten points so far this year. However, their defensive presence will be missed. De Haan leads the team in both hits and blocked shots, and Seabrook is among the the best on the team in both categories as well. The pair also chew up considerable minutes, with each averaging nearly 20 minutes per game this season. While Chicago is not without hope on the back end, with Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Olli Maatta, sand Erik Gustafsson still present on a deep unit, but these losses will nevertheless still be felt.
Also on the sidelines for Chicago is Brandon Saad, announced as missing the next three weeks with a right ankle injury. Saad, while underwhelming so far this season, is still the Blackhawks’ second-leading goal-scorer and fifth in points on the team. With the Blackhawks already in the basement of the Central Division and now missing Saad for several weeks and Seabrook and de Haan for the rest of the year, today’s announcement will more or less mark the end of Chicago’s season, barring an unexpected boost in the absence of their established veterans.
LTIRetired!
Robidas Island! Complete with those special drinks and the free mini umbrella! What could be better? (Winning the Draft Lottery!)
So I’ve been very quiet on this blog concerning the Hawks. Last year many of you constantly criticized my opinion of the Hawks and specifically Stan Bowman. Many if not most said that this year they would be Cup Contenders. Now that you have all been proven wrong, can we finally all agree that young Stanley needs to be fired,along with that Joke of a coach Colliton that he hired after firing a future HOF HC in Quenville..I’m not saying because of Seabrook injury it’s just that his contract is a albatross on the team and Stanley gave it out. This guy is terrible and at end of the season will meet the fate he so deserves by being FIRED thank goodnesd
What has Stan done since being in charge? Just looking at his first rounders and where they are now one could argue that he should have been gone long ago. Especially after that Ladd trade a few years ago.
He won’t get fired lep, seabrooks contract is bad, and I’m not a fan of Colliton but, there are many good moves that outweigh those, sometimes after winning 3 cups in 6 years the team has to deal with contracts running out on older players, a new gm wont change that
Yeah about that. Nobody said the Blackhawks were going to be Cup contenders. Stop spewing nonsense
Kane still worth the money obviously but there were many who got paid over market(Krueger, Seabrook, and Toews for instance) because of the cup runs. I get it but hurts the team in the long run. If the front office remains the same at season’s end I would be surprised. I think if they are going to do it then it needs to happen sooner than later so the next in line can start preparing for next year and beyond. The Blackhawks have a busy off season ahead with a likely top 5 pick in the draft and moves that need to be made all over the roster. The rebuild is here unless the defense suddenly becomes 10 times better at giving up high danger opportunities.