Brent Seabrook feels he can still be a good player “for somebody”
The three-time Stanley Cup Champion is frustrated that he’ll remain out of the lineup on Tuesday night against Nashville.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was a healthy scratch for just the second time in his NHL career on Sunday vs. Los Angeles. It appeared that Seabrook sat out for rest purposes, but Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton had some interesting words about the situation after the game.
Colliton made it sound as if this wasn’t going to be a one-time thing, and sure enough on Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that Seabrook would sit for a second consecutive game.
Seabrook didn’t mince his feelings about being out of the lineup once again. The veteran blueliner still thinks he can contribute on a nightly basis.
“What do you think?” Seabrook said. “It’s not fun sitting out. Nice to see a big win the other night and hopefully we can get another one tonight but yeah… I think I’ve been playing good. I’ve obviously been on for some goals against. Tough situation, but I feel like I’m skating better, I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer this team. “
The most eye-opening part of the interview came when Seabrook stated that he could still be a good player “for somebody”. Seabrook visibly got more and more upset as the interview went on.
“I don’t think I need rest,” Seabrook said. “I think I feel great. I’m 34, you guys seem to want to write articles about my age and my speed. I feel like I still got a lot to offer in this league and still be a good player for somebody.”
While it’s tough to sit a veteran leader like ‘Seabs’, his play hasn’t been all that great so far this season. The 34-year-old defenseman has just one point in his first nine games to go along with a -5 plus/minus rating. Seabrook’s possession numbers aren’t much better, as he currently carries a 43.9 Corsi-For percentage.
A lot of the current frustration with Seabrook has to do with the fact that he has the third-highest cap hit on the Blackhawks at $6.875 million. Not to mention he’s only in the fourth year of his eight-year contract. Seabrook also has a full no-movement clause, so he can’t even be sent to Rockford unless he approves. This very well could be the start of an on-going frustration between Brent Seabrook and the Chicago Blackhawks.
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