Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Brent Seabrook

Central Notes: Seabrook, Red Wings, Radulov, Gardiner

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Brent Seabrook’s announcement that he doesn’t intend to return to professional hockey has other implications as well, particularly the upcoming expansion draft. Up until now, the team had Seabrook inked in as a player the team had to protect due to his no-movement clause. Now, with Seabrook being moved to LTIR and effectively retiring allows the Chicago Blackhawks some much-needed flexibility, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield.

The team no longer needs to protect Seabrook from the Seattle Kraken and expansion draft, which will allow them to retain an extra defenseman they weren’t originally expecting to be able to keep. Assuming the team goes with the 7-3-1 format, the team can now protect Duncan Keith and Connor Murphy like they had originally planned. However, now the team has the option of protecting Nikita Zadorov or Calvin de Haan, with Zadorov being the more likely of the two to be protected. de Haan and his $4.55 AAV are more likely to be traded at the trade deadline or exposed to Seattle.

  • The Detroit Red Wings continue to be without top-line winger Tyler Bertuzzi, who has been out since Jan. 30th with an upper-body injury. Head coach Jeff Blashill said that the forward still isn’t able to practice, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The news is a little more promising for Dylan Larkin, who has missed four games with an upper-body injury. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that Larkin could be ready to go on Tuesday, but Blashill said much of that determination will be based on practice Sunday and Monday. For now, he’s considered day-to-day.
  • Despite taking the ice Saturday in Dallas’ morning skate, forward Alexander Radulov is not expected to return to the team for another week, according to Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks. Radulov has been out with a lower-body injury and has not played since Feb. 4. Radulov has appeared in only eight games for the Stars this season, but does have an impressive three goals and 11 points.
  • NHL.com’s Michael Smith reports that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jake Gardiner is ready to return to the lineup Sunday. The 30-year-old has been out since Feb. 24 and has missed five games with an upper-body injury. Gardiner has seven assists in 16 games this season and could return to his role on the power-play as well.

Brent Seabrook Will Not Play Again

at CDT | by 9 Comments

After battling to try and return from several major injuries, Brent Seabrook has finally hung up his skates. In a statement today, the veteran defenseman has announced he will not return to professional hockey. This is essentially Seabrook’s retirement, though the statement does not actually mention that word and the Chicago Blackhawks have moved him to long-term injured reserve for now. Seabrook still has three years left on his contract, which will not come off the books entirely.

In a statement, team physician Dr. Michael Terry explains exactly what happened to Seabrook:

Over a three-month period from December 2019 to February 2020, Brent underwent successful surgeries on both of his hips and his right shoulder. He has worked extremely hard to recover from those surgeries but has a long-term issue with his right hip that is preventing him from playing professional hockey. We have tried all available conservative treatments, and nothing has worked well enough for him to live life as an athlete. We support his decision to prioritize his long-term physical health.

Seabrook, Zack Smith, and Andrew Shaw were all placed on LTIR today.

The 35-year-old Seabrook played 32 games for the Blackhawks last season, but it has been several years since he was truly himself. Both a defensive warrior and offensive catalyst during his prime, he served as the fourth musketeer alongside Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith during the Blackhawks dynasty, winning three Stanley Cup championships in six seasons. Though he failed to capture the Conn Smythe trophy during any of those runs (the other three each have one), he was just as integral as any man on the Chicago side.

Over 1,114 career regular season games, Seabrook amassed 464 points, topping out at a 14-goal 49-point campaign in 2015-16. But he was so much more than his offensive production, serving as a leader on and off the ice for the Blackhawks and battling every second of every game. There are few players who teammates speak about with such respect, and the Chicago organization has always stood by the decision to give him his current eight-year contract.

The deal, which kicked in for the 2016-17 season (Seabrook’s age-31 year), was considered a mistake by many as soon as the ink dried. A $6.875MM cap hit with a full no-movement clause made a beloved player a financial anchor, but it was a reward for the contribution he had made previously.

Now, if he doesn’t retire officially, the Blackhawks will still need to dance a salary cap waltz in the coming years, using LTIR to their advantage whenever possible. Fans can stop worrying so much about his deal and start appreciating the player as the Blackhawks do. In a statement, GM Stan Bowman explains just what he means to the franchise:

Without Brent Seabrook, the Chicago Blackhawks would not have three Stanley Cups. He concludes his career as not only one of the best defensemen in franchise history, but one the greatest Chicago Blackhawks of all time. We cannot thank Brent enough for what he did for the Blackhawks organization, the city of Chicago and this fan base. He will always be a part of the Blackhawks family and we wish him well in his life after hockey.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Brent Seabrook Unlikely To Return Soon

at CDT | by 7 Comments

Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was hoping that after undergoing three surgeries last season that ended his 2019-20 campaign early, he would be ready to go in training camp.  That didn’t happen and the veteran has yet to play this season with very little information coming out about how long he’ll miss.  Speaking with Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, GM Stan Bowman indicated that Seabrook won’t be coming back anytime soon and that there is some concern about his future:

He’s been a warrior for us. Think of his time in Chicago — he never really missed any games. But now we’re realizing he was playing through a lot of pain those years, and it’s caught up to him.

He was dealing with his shoulders and his hips to the point where he probably should have had [the surgeries] done years ago, but that’s how he’s always been driven — to keep moving forward, don’t worry about injuries, play through it. So, yeah, we are concerned for him. We certainly hope he can get past it.

Seabrook had planned to be in Chicago’s training camp before tweaking his back which has kept him out since then.  He has managed to skate lightly on his own in recent weeks but nowhere near a level where he’d be considered close to returning.  Pope likens Seabrook’s situation to that of teammate Zack Smith who also had a back injury, had planned to be ready for training camp, then wound up on the injured list and has yet to play this season.

The Blackhawks have used four blueliners on entry-level contracts so far this season and with it appearing that Seabrook won’t be back anytime soon (if at all this year), they will be able to get a longer look at some of those younger prospects.  In the meantime, Seabrook and his $6.875MM AAV can be placed on LTIR if Chicago needs the cap room although they’re safely in cap compliance for the time being with Jonathan Toews on there and no word on how much longer he’ll be out.

Snapshots: Saad, Seabrook, Sobotka

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Brandon Saad has yet to even don a Colorado Avalanche jersey in practice nevertheless in game action, but the veteran winger already knows that he would like a long-term stay. Saad was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last month with just one year remaining on his current contract, a six-year, $36MM pact signed back in 2015. Having played in just nine postseason games since 2017, Saad is clearly happy to be back with a legitimate contender. Add in that he has been traded three times now in the past five years and it is no surprise that he would like to stay put in Colorado beyond this season. Saad told NHL. com’s “NHL@TheRink” Podcast that as much:

We haven’t had any discussions, I think it’s a bit early, especially with not really knowing what’s going on with the season and all that, but for me, thinking about it, Colorado has always been in my top because I want to win again. So to be in a great spot like that, on a great team, and then you hear wonders about the city, so really, it seems like a great place where I want to play for a long time. I’m looking forward to getting the season going because we have a hell of a team out there in Denver.

  • One of Saad’s former Chicago teammates, Brent Seabrook, is a player who many Blackhawks fans have wished was a former Chicago player himself over the past few years. Seabrook, 35, has seen his play in all three zones fall off considerably over the past few years, culminating in an injury-shortened and almost completely ineffective 2020-21 campaign. To make matters worse, Seabrook still has four years and $27.5MM remaining on what has become one of the more notorious contracts in the NHL. While many have speculated and perhaps hoped that Seabrook may retire, he tells The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that he is not considering anything less than continuing his playing career to the best of his abilities. After several difficult years, on and off the ice, Seabrook tells LeBrun that he is feeling physically and mentally healthy and overall “rejuvenated”. Perhaps the Chicago mainstay can return to form this season and make the most of the remaining years of his contract.
  • While he continues to seek a permanent contract somewhere, Vladimir Sobotka has signed another month-long contract. While Sobotka played with SC Rapperswil-Jona of the Swiss NLA last month, he has landed in a more familiar spot and hopes to earn a longer stay this time around. Czech source Hokej.cz reports that Sobotka has signed a temporary contract with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga. Sobotka came up through the program as a prospect and returned to the team during the 2012-13 lockout, making this a homecoming of sorts. While Sobokta made a minimal impact for the Buffalo Sabres this past season, he played in 69 games the year prior and is just a few years removed from a 31-point campaign with the St. Louis Blues. His experience and pedigree should earn him an extended stay with Praha, unless he opts to sign elsewhere.

Snapshots: Stars-Avalanche, Dubois, Seabrook

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The NHL hasn’t even finished the first round, with two series playing game six tonight, but they’re already moving on with at least one second-round series. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are set to start their battle tomorrow night according to several reports including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

The league obviously wants to take advantage of a Saturday night, but also is determined to get through the bubble-playoffs as quickly as possible. Both first-round game sevens, should they be needed, are scheduled for Sunday.

  • Pierre-Luc Dubois wasn’t able to carry the Columbus Blue Jackets to a first-round victory but did show that he’s an emerging star in the NHL. That will only help him when he negotiates his next contract this fall. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic examines the young center’s situation, explaining that he believes a three-year deal would make sense. Interestingly though, LeBrun writes that “if Dubois signs longer term, it’s going to be for tangibly more than [William] Nylander.” The Toronto Maple Leafs forward signed a six-year, $45MM deal in 2018.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks are still hoping that Brent Seabrook can be an impact player for them in 2020-21, even after his major surgeries limited him to just 32 games this season and took him out of the postseason. Seabrook, who rehabbed hard to try and be a part of the team in the bubble, will have his role “figured out in training camp” according to Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, who spoke to reporters including John Dietz of the Daily Herald. The 35-year-old defenseman has four years remaining on his contract.

Brent Seabrook Won’t Return This Season

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Blackhawks will be down at least one veteran defenseman for their Qualifying Round series against Edmonton as Brent Seabrook told reporters today, including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) that he will not be part of the roster that reports to the bubble later this weekend.

The veteran has had a rough year, to put it lightly.  He struggled considerably to start the season as his playing time dipped to 18:09 per game, a career low while his offensive output plummeted to just three goals and an assist in 32 contests.  At that time, he was shut down for the rest of the season due to injury.  Since then, Seabrook has had surgery on both hips and his right shoulder.

He resumed skating recently in the hopes of being available for their series against the Oilers but there would have been some risk in asking him to come back quicker than originally anticipated.  Instead, Seabrook will use the rest of this offseason to get ready for the 2020-21 campaign.  With training camps for that being roughly three months away as things stand, he should be ready to go.  Considering he still has four years left on his contract after this season with a $6.875MM cap hit, Chicago will certainly be hoping that with the extended recovery time, Seabrook will be able to provide more than third pairing minutes moving forward.

Blackhawks’ Brent Seabrook Will Try To Play In Qualifying Round, Postseason

at CDT | by 4 Comments

No one thought much about it when veteran Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was declared out for the season in late December. The Blackhawks were not looking like a playoff team at the time and the aged and battered Seabrook was not going to be the difference between a postseason spot or not. Seabrook proceeded to have three separate surgeries – his right shoulder and each hip – and was expected to be ready to begin the 2020-21 season.

However, the extended pause in the league season due to COVID-19 has changed everything for the Blackhawks and Seabrook. Chicago was the final team in the Western Conference to qualify for the league’s expanded postseason and will have a chance to win a playoff spot in a “knockout round” match-up with the Edmonton Oilers later this summer. Meanwhile, Seabrook has had ample down time to rehab his injuries and has now resumed skating, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic. Powers rights that the next step would be for Seabrook to be cleared for contact, after which he could potentially join the Blackhawks for training camp, set to begin later this month.

Of course, actually being selected as one of the defensemen to play for Chicago in the qualifying round and beyond is a whole other issue entirely for the 35-year-old Seabrook. The veteran has not looked like himself for several years now and his four points in 32 games and career-low ice time this season implies that cracking the starting lineup may be an uphill battle even if Seabrook is completely healthy. With Calvin de Haan, similarly ruled out for the season but recently cleared to return, joining top-six regulars Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, Adam Boqvist, Olli Maatta and Slater Koekkoek, Chicago’s starting defense may already be set. This also doesn’t include AHL depth options and the possibility that top defense prospect Ian Mitchell could also be in the mix.

Nevertheless, Seabrook will still work toward being cleared for action and could play an important locker room role and serve as valued depth at the very least for Chicago. The team will need all the help they can get to upset Edmonton and a tuned-up and refreshed Seabrook is just as likely as anyone to be that potential surprise x-factor in the qualifying round series, made even more surprising by the previous expectation that his season was over.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Larmi, Poulin, Boychuk

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While many teams will be getting players back for when the play-in round gets underway, the Blackhawks may still be down a few players for their series against Edmonton.  Speaking with reporters yesterday, including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, GM Stan Bowman indicated that blueliners Calvin de Haan and Adam Boqvist plus winger Drake Caggiula will all be ready to play.  However, winger Andrew Shaw (concussion), center Zack Smith (back), and defenseman Brent Seabrook (shoulder, hips) may not be ready.  Smith and Seabrook are recovering from their respective surgeries but are likely to be out for a while yet.  As for Shaw, he last played in late November and Bowman didn’t have an update on his status.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Penguins goaltending prospect Emil Larmi has been recalled to join the team in Pittsburgh as they continue preparations for their play-in series against Montreal, reports Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The rookie posted identical 3.55 GAA’s with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (nine games) and ECHL Wheeling (11 games) this season.  While it’s expected that there will be a cap on the number of skaters that teams can carry when play resumes, there may not be one for goaltenders.  With that in mind, it appears that Pittsburgh will carry at least four as Casey DeSmith is a safe bet to be brought up as well.
  • Still with Pittsburgh, Louis Jean of TVA Sports reports (Twitter link) that prospect Samuel Poulin will be among their recalls as well. The Penguins took the 19-year-old 21st overall last June and he is coming off of a dominant season in the QMJHL.  After picking up 76 points in 67 games last season, he had 77 points in just 46 contests this year with Sherbrooke.  Poulin has already signed his entry-level deal.
  • Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk told Newsday’s Andrew Gross that his eye is close to being fully recovered. Boychuk was cut by the skate blade of Montreal winger Artturi Lehkonen in early March which required 90 stitches and plastic surgery to repair.  While Boychuk’s ice time decreased again this season for the fifth straight year, he was still a regular fixture on their third pairing and should play a similar role for them in their play-in series against Florida.  Although the Islanders have opened up their practice facility, Boychuk will remain in his native Edmonton and skate there for the time being.

West Notes: Oilers, Seabrook, Ward

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Oilers clearly like what they’ve seen from some of their depth players this season and have already handed out extensions to center Gaetan Haas and winger Joakim Nygard.  They may not be done there yet either.  Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports that the team has interest in re-signing center Riley Sheahan although he’d have to take an amount close to his current $900K price tag even though he has spent a fair bit of time on the third line this season.  While his production has tailed off in recent years, he still takes a lot of key faceoffs and can help on the penalty kill.  Matheson also suggests that there’s interest in re-signing Tyler Ennis, who didn’t look out of place after being acquired at the trade deadline.  However, after putting up 37 points between Ottawa and Edmonton and no longer being paid by Minnesota on his buyout, he may be seeking a fair bit more than his $800K salary.

More from out West:

  • Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook participated in a fundraiser for Chicago’s Community COVID-19 Response Fund earlier this week. NBC Sports Chicago’s Scott King relays an important note from the blueliner who mentioned that there haven’t been any setbacks from his three surgeries from earlier this season (both hips and his right shoulder) and that he’s hopeful to resume hockey-related activities in the next three to four months.  He has been a speculative buyout candidate as of late but even if there is a compliance buyout put in as a result of a levelled out salary cap due to this pandemic, the extended timeline to resume hockey activities may make him ineligible to be bought out unless the official offseason is delayed long enough for him to be cleared.
  • While Joel Ward is now retired, he’s hoping to rejoin the Sharks organization. Speaking with reporters including NBC Sports Bay Area’s Brian Witt, the former winger indicated that he has had some brief discussions already about potentially returning in a coaching role but that those talks are on hold until this pandemic passes.  While jumping behind an NHL bench right away seems unlikely, Ward could do like several other veterans have done in recent years and work in a player development role.

Potential Compliance Buyout Candidates: Part I

at CDT | by 17 Comments

As the current Coronavirus crisis wears on, it seems more and more likely that the NHL will not return to action soon and when play resumes, it will almost certainly not be the full remaining regular season schedule. That lost revenue is expected to impact the 2020-21 salary cap, perhaps even keeping the current $81.5MM upper limit in place. Given that teams expected an increase, initially projected to be between $84-88.2MM, this stagnation could have a harsh impact on a number of clubs’ cap situations. As such, many expect that compliance buyouts will return in some form or fashion to ease that pain. These buyouts, which do not count against the salary cap, would allow for teams to open up space that they otherwise expected from a cap increase.

Here is a rundown of the top compliance buyout candidates for the first third of NHL teams:

Anaheim Ducks: Adam Henrique

– The first team on the list is a tough call. Henrique has had a good season and the Ducks are not in significant cap trouble. However, with a long list of promising forward prospects and a defense that needs work, the team could opt to move on from the veteran forward and to create roster space and cap flexibility. Henrique, 30, is signed for four more years at $5.825MM.

Arizona Coyotes: Phil Kessel

– The Coyotes are in one of the worst positions in the league in terms of cap space, so the team would have to use a compliance buyout if the opportunity is offered to them. Kessel has been a relative bust in his first season with the ‘Yotes and is signed for two more years at $6.8MM. He has the potential to improve in year two, but Arizona may not have the luxury of taking the chance. The added cap space would be a major relief for the team.

Boston Bruins: John Moore

– Given the Bruins’ depth on defense in both veteran assets and budding prospects as well as Moore’s relegation to a backup role on the Boston blue line, he has become an expendable asset, especially if both Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug are back next season. Moore is signed longer than any current Bruins defenseman with three years and $8.25MM remaining, but the team’s commitment to him seems less than any of his fellow blue liners.

Buffalo Sabres: Kyle Okposo

– Unfortunately for the Sabres, the Okposo signing in 2016 has never panned out. His production dropped from 64 points with the New York Islanders in 2015-16 to just 45 points in his first year in Buffalo and that total has gone down in every year since. Okposo was on pace for just 24 points this year and may not even reach that mark. The Sabres would be quick to part ways with Okposo, who has three years at $6MM annually left on his contract, taking up valuable cap space that the team needs to use to improve the rest of their roster.

Calgary Flames: Milan Lucic

– Even with the salary being retained by the Edmonton Oilers on Lucic’s contract, his $5.25MM cap hit is still a pain for the Flames. The veteran power forward is not going to score 20+ goals or 50+ points in a season ever again and Calgary could do more with the added cap space over the next three years.

Carolina Hurricanes: Jake Gardiner

– For whatever reason, the Gardiner signing simply has not worked out as the Hurricanes had hoped. Gardiner, who was signed late last summer at a relative discount, has been a fine addition, but hasn’t been the point producer and power play ace that Carolina had hoped for. Following the deadline addition of Brady Skjei to arguably the deepest blue line in the NHL already, Gardiner and his remaining three years and $12.15MM are expendable.

Chicago Blackhawks: Brent Seabrook

– One of the more obvious choices on this list, Seabrook’s contract may the worst in the NHL right now. The 34-year-old has four years left at $6.875MM AAV on an eight-year, $55MM deal signed back in 2015. Over the term of the contract, Seabrook has declined rapidly and is a shell of his former self, regardless of health. The cap-strapped Blackhawks would not think twice about moving on.

Colorado Avalanche: Erik Johnson

– Johnson is a well-liked and well-respected long-time member of the Avalanche. However, as time has gone on the team has surrounded him with better, younger, and more affordable blue line options. As valuable as Johnson’s experience and leadership may be, he is an expendable piece without a clear future role. Signed through 2022-23 at a $6MM cap hit, Johnson is an expensive piece to keep around just for the intangibles and the Avs could look to use this opportunity to clear some space for some anticipated big game hunting this off-season.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Alexander Wennberg

– Blue Jackets fans have been calling for Wennberg’s head for years now and may finally get their wish. The once-promising young forward turned a 59-point 2016-17 season into a six-year, $29.4MM contract and then proceeded to regress immensely over the past few seasons instead of continuing to improve as expected. With another three years left at $4.9MM per, Wennberg doesn’t seem likely to get back to a level of play that would warrant his current cap hit and Columbus could move on, even from a 25-year-old homegrown product.

Dallas Stars: Andrew Cogliano

– The Stars are a team with numerous big names and long contracts, but their most inefficient name might just be Cogliano. Rather than using a buyout to move a heavy cap hit, Dallas could opt to trim the fat by removing a player that hasn’t been a good fit. Cogliano has showed that his six points in 32 games last season with the Stars following a trade from Anaheim was not a fluke; he followed it up with 14 points through 68 games this year. Expecting Cogliano to get back to 30+ point form in 2020-21 in his final year at $3.25MM seems hopeful at best and Dallas could use that space elsewhere with some lineup holes to fill this summer.

Stay tuned for Part II coming soon.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top