Word on the NHL offseason rumor mill is that the Chicago Blackhawks might try to make a big trade up in the first round of the NHL draft. That may or may not include a “core player,” if reports are to be believed.
Our own Blackhawks blog has speculated that player might be veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook.
That part was mainly what made me think it’s Seabrook. He’s the guy you’d “dump” in a lopsided trade, not Panarin or Hjalmarsson.
— Second City Hockey (@2ndCityHockey) June 11, 2017
It’s a fair assumption, but reports on Monday indicate that’s not the direction Chicago is going. First, insider Pierre LeBrun told a radio station that he hasn’t heard anything about Seabrook moving.
Lebrun/Seabrook: In fact, the #Blackhawks have not talked to a single team about him. They value his leadership.
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) June 12, 2017
Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mark Lazerus corroborated the report soon after:
Seabrook’s contract would be extremely difficult to move without the Hawks retaining significant salary, and multiple sources said the Hawks have little interest in dealing him. In fact, according to league sources, neither Seabrook nor Anisimov has been asked yet by the Hawks to waive their no-trade clause, and Hjalmarsson has not yet been asked to submit a list of 10 teams to which he’d accept a trade.
Seabrook should be the most desirable salary dump for the Blackhawks regardless of his leadership qualities. His $6.875 million cap hit is higher even than superior partner Duncan Keith, and lasts through the 2023-24 season when Seabrook will be 38 years old. Only Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have a higher cap hit on the Blackhawks.
GM Stan Bowman also saddled that contract with a no-movement clause, which limits an already short list of teams that would want or be able to handle such a contract. And even though Seabrook played better this season, he’s on the wrong side of 30 years old. A decline should be expected.
If Chicago also hasn’t asked Artem Anisimov or Nicklas Hjalmarsson to consider trades yet, who knows that the Blackhawks might be planning. But they’re primed for something big ahead of the draft, which is held in Chicago later this month. It just probably won’t include Seabrook.