The Seabrook Conundrum...

[piteus]

The conundrum is JC's opinion. The decision is easy (sit). As this point, we just eat his contract until we're good enough to contend ... and then think about stretching.

The Hawks are not good enough to contend, so it doesn't hurt to keep lowering his cap number.

 

[migi]

Fiddy’s on a roll.

 

[Putt Pirate]

I wonder what a long term benching would do to him. Would he realize he is no longer an NHL player? Would his pride let him retire if there is another position within the Hawks for him? Only one way to find out......

 

[piteus]

I wonder what a long term benching would do to him. Would he realize he is no longer an NHL player? Would his pride let him retire if there is another position within the Hawks for him? Only one way to find out......

Fat chance. There's still $21mn of cash left on his guaranteed deal after this year. After this year, Seabrook still has about $27mn of cap hit for the next 4 years.

Maybe he leaves $9.5mn of cash on the table after the 2021-2022 season. Doubtful ... as I doubt most would.

 

[hawksfan50]

So if the conundrum is JC's decision(to play him or bench him) then Stab has no say?

After all...play him....Hawks will certainly lose a lot more and this probably get a good lottery slot and a chance for another top end talent...bench him and Hawks probably muddlecto the middle and maybe miss playoffs again...

Seems to me the decision rests on the assessment of how good can the Hawks be without the albatross of Seabs weighing them down?
JC may think 1 way...Stan the other...so if no consensus of what to do...the fans may have to decide...and that would be revolutionary to the NHL...of course fans could decide by not buying tocketscif Seabs plays and kissing mounts..but they also could decide the issue if they boo the losing till the higher ups hey the sentiment that fans have given up on the"legend" that Seabs became...abdare instead saying to Hawks Managenent...what is this guy doing for us lately? And they imply a response that presents not a pretty picture.

It is hard to see this happen to Seabs but facts are facts and the glaring inability to skate fast enough to do his job properly at this stage of his career is patently obvious to everyone watching.

 

[Giovi]

So if the conundrum is JC's decision(to play him or bench him) then Stab has no say?

After all...play him....Hawks will certainly lose a lot more and this probably get a good lottery slot and a chance for another top end talent...bench him and Hawks probably muddlecto the middle and maybe miss playoffs again...

Seems to me the decision rests on the assessment of how good can the Hawks be without the albatross of Seabs weighing them down?
JC may think 1 way...Stan the other...so if no consensus of what to do...the fans may have to decide...and that would be revolutionary to the NHL...of course fans could decide by not buying tocketscif Seabs plays and kissing mounts..but they also could decide the issue if they boo the losing till the higher ups hey the sentiment that fans have given up on the"legend" that Seabs became...abdare instead saying to Hawks Managenent...what is this guy doing for us lately? And they imply a response that presents not a pretty picture.

It is hard to see this happen to Seabs but facts are facts and the glaring inability to skate fast enough to do his job properly at this stage of his career is patently obvious to everyone watching.

?

 

[ClydeLee]

Everybody go kiss your horses and maybe Seabs wont be played anymore

 

[Blackhawks]

The long term benching should have started the last 20 games of last season so he would have thought long and hard about it all summer long and maybe actually got off the KFC.

 

[LDF]

The long term benching should have started the last 20 games of last season so he would have thought long and hard about it all summer long and maybe actually got off the KFC.

respectfully i disagree......

his being regulated to the press box should have happen in the beginning of last season.

 

[LDF]

Everybody go kiss your horses and maybe Seabs wont be played anymore

do you really believe that........ with that contract of his, the org will still play him. somehow to coop something from that contract.

 

[BK]

do you really believe that........ with that contract of his, the org will still play him. somehow to coop something from that contract.

That is not this owner’s mo. They have ate cash in the past to max performance.

 

[LDF]

That is not this owner’s mo. They have ate cash in the past to max performance.

very true with everything you posted......

but there will be a one timer that he will not reacted as hope.

 

[Rolo]

"still be a good player for somebody"

 

[Putt Pirate]

Anyone need a pylon for $6MM? Anyone? Yeah.....we are stuck with the guy. I loved him during our runs. But stan shit the bed on that deal.

 

[Otto31]

This is tough, I never thought this Seabrook situation could reach this point. It was not the media who said he was demanding some time to rest, it was his boss, by his attitudes, who made it clear, and this is bad, it could mean an important fracture between the club and a historic player. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but we may be seeing the start of a rising tension and this could be bad for both parts.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

I've been ripping on Seabs for years, even when he was great (and he was) but the truth is, I'm a huge fan of the guy.
He's simply not good enough anymore though and is good for at least one goal against per game these days because of his skating and slowed reaction time.
Keep him in the pressbox.

At some point Seabs will get sick of sitting and agree to a trade. Then Stan probably has to eat 1/2 of his salary to get it done.
It's sad but I don't see another way around it.

No matter what though, Brent Seabrook is already a Blackhawks legend.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

I'll just leave these here:

 

[clydesdale line]

"still be a good player for somebody"

The fact that he's hinting about waiving his NMC speaks volumes IMO.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

More....

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Brent Seabrook will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game, and the Chicago Blackhawks' alternate captain isn't happy about it.
"I think I've been playing good," Seabrook told reporters Tuesday from Nashville. "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 34-year-old was scratched for Sunday's game against the Kings, a much-needed 5-1 win that snapped a four-game winless streak. He'll now sit against the Predators. Before this week, Seabrook had been a healthy scratch only one other time in his career -- in January 2018 by then coach Joel Quenneville.
"I don't think I need rest," Seabrook said Tuesday. "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."

Denial, he doesn’t realize it. Its sad, I love the guy and hate to see it happen but he can’t play anymore. Maybe he will waive his NMC if it keeps going but I wouldn’t be surprised if Colliton eventually buckles and puts him back in.

 

[AmericanDream]

I'll just leave these here:

I will just leaves these here...

Laz caught up with Seabs once the announcement of his 2nd scratch was made...Seabs replied "well, at least it's taco Tuesday" #staystrong!

 

[Toews2Bickell]

This should be the framework Bowman uses for a Seabrook trade imo...We retain 50% and trade a good pick/prospect to an intermediary thats needs to hit cap floor every year like Ottawa, Ottawa turns around and retains 50% on the ~3.5m left over and trades Seabrook to Vancouver or Florida. Seabrook is then a ~1.7m player for the duration of his contract. Hawks save something like 11-12m versus buying him out and owing ~24m and Ottawa gets likely a 1st (2021) or 2nd + to faciliate the deal. Vegas did this at the trade deadline with Brassard a few years back.

something like this needs to happen

Penguins Acquire Derick Brassard in Three-Team Trade with OTT and VGK

 

[HawksBeerFan]

This is tough, I never thought this Seabrook situation could reach this point. It was not the media who said he was demanding some time to rest, it was his boss, by his attitudes, who made it clear, and this is bad, it could mean an important fracture between the club and a historic player. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but we may be seeing the start of a rising tension and this could be bad for both parts.

How could we not see this coming honestly? He's been our worst, most overpaid player for a while now. It was obviously going to come to this at some point.

 

[Backyard Hockey]

Trading Seabrook is of no benefit to the Hawks.

You would just have to give up useful assets to get rid of him. It doesn't matter how many games the Hawks lose this season, so let him play. If you want to improve the odds of winning in the future you have to trade those guys that can actually BRING IN some useful pieces. Like Gustafsson (and Pat Kane). Then you can build a winning team after the current core moves aside.

Toews, Keith, Seabrook can retire Hawks no big deal. What is their trade value anyway? Close to nothing. Trading any of them does not help the team. Accept you are going to lose and rebuild properly. Kane can go win a Cup somewhere else. Then the Hawks can challenge for the Cup in 3-4-5 years from now with a new core. If you trade Seabrook you're just going to hurt the team long term. Like with trading Bickell.

Trading Seabrook absolutely would help. I would remove the urge of JC/Stan/Others to play him. Addition by subtraction.

But they, like getting rid of the Bickell contract, would be the 'pot sweetener'. I wouldn't want to see a young exciting player ala say Kubilik or others get thrown in to make the deal happen.

 

[ColdSteel2]

This should be the framework Bowman uses for a Seabrook trade imo...We retain 50% and trade a pick/prospect to an intermediary thats cash strapped like Ottawa, Ottawa turns around and retains 50% on the 3.5m left over and trades Seabrook to Vancouver or Florida. Seabrook is then a 1.5m player for the duration of his contract. Hawks save something like 13m versus buying him out and Ottawa gets likely a 2nd + to faciliate the deal. Vegas did this at the trade deadline with Brassard so that Pittsburgh could afford him since Ottawa wouldn't retain.

something like this needs to happen

Penguins Acquire Derick Brassard in Three-Team Trade with OTT and VGK

I like the way you’re thinking, but even half of 3.5 x 5 years is still around 9M. Marleau’s 6.5M for a 1st rounder set the market.

There just isn’t any way to slice it where the Hawks don’t pay out the ass to trade him. One thing your plan does show is that it is possible to trade him.

 

[TLEH]

We don’t need the cap right now this second. Just make him sit the entire season and hope he retires or fake LTIRs