Report: Blackhawks' Seabrook declines to waive no-movement clause
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook was asked to waive his no-movement clause, but declined to do so, according to a report by Elliotte Friedman.
"He loves being a Blackhawk and he does not want to do that," Friedman said. "But I think they might still check around to (test) the market."
Seabrook is in the third year of an eight-year contract that carries a $6.875 million cap hit and runs through 2023-24. Seabrook's deal carries a full no-movement clause until 2022-23, at which time he can name five teams in which he would be willing to go to. The next season, that list expands to 10 teams.
The Hawks signed Seabrook's extension on Sept. 26, 2015 - about nine months before he would become an unrestricted free agent.
"I'm excited to be a Blackhawk," Seabrook said that day. "That's where I wanted to be the whole time. I didn't want to push it or wait.
"I'd like to spend my whole career here. It's up to me now to fulfill my end of the bargain and go from there."
General manager Stan Bowman didn't see Seabrook's deal as being a salary-cap headache when he faced the media after announcing the deal.
"You can't just go pick up a Brent Seabrook," he said. "Every team faces those (salary cap) challenges, but I look at it as a great situation to be in. The hardest thing is to find talented players that are committed to winning.
"When you have them, you do everything you can and you make it work."
Seabrook scored a career-high 14 goals, blocked 150 shots and finished 20th in the Norris Trophy voting in 2015-16.
His game has slipped the last two seasons, however, as the 33-year-old struggles to keep up in the faster, quicker, younger NHL. Seabrook has 5 goals, 15 assists and a minus-11 rating this season. His Corsi-for rating at even strength is a career-worst 45.8. He just scored his 100th career goal at New Jersey on Jan. 14.
The Blackhawks are scheduled to practice at MB Ice Arena on Monday at 11 a.m., then play at Edmonton on Tuesday.
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