Brent Seabrook is not pleased that he’ll be watching his second consecutive Chicago Blackhawks game from the press box.
Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton has scratched the 34-year-old defenceman for the team’s game against the Predators in Nashville on Tuesday. This comes two days after Colliton left Seabrook out of the lineup for the Blackhawks’ 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at home on Sunday.
The three-time Stanley Cup winner was “visibly upset” when asked about being scratched after the Blackhawks’ morning skate on Tuesday, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis.
“What do you think? 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,” Seabrook said per Roumeliotis.
“I don’t think I need rest. 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,” he continued.
Seabrook has one goal and is a minus-five in nine games with Chicago this season. He had 28 points in 78 games last season. Seabrook has also seen his ice time drop from 19:06 in 2018-19 to 17:39 in 2019-20.
Despite Seabrook’s integral role in the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup-winning teams during the first half of the decade (2010, 2013 and 2015), the veteran rearguard has become a magnet for criticism among Chicago fans because of his declining play and the eight-year, $55-million contract extension that he signed in the fall of 2015.
The first-round pick of the Blackhawks (14th overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft has recorded 461 points across 1,091 career games, all with Chicago.
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