Chicago Blackhawks could be getting Brent Seabrook back for playoffs

Brent Seabrook could rejoin the Chicago Blackhawks as early as the play-in round.

The Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Edmonton Oilers in the play-in round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the league is hoping to get things underway around the beginning of August, a date hasn’t been set yet for the start of the playoffs.

Whenever the postseason starts, though, the Blackhawks could be getting defenseman Brent Seabrook back on the ice, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic.

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According to Powers, Seabrook will make an attempt to come back for the Blackhawks in the play-in round. Seabrook has been out since Dec. 15th due to multiple health issues. In December, he had surgery to fix his shoulder. Seabrook also had surgeries in January and February to fix his left hip and right hip, respectively.

Getting Seabrook back honestly might not mean much for the Blackhawks. Even if he’s healthy, it’s hard to see him consistently cracking the lineup. Seabrook has struggled mightily this season, though perhaps that was just health-related. But still, he’s been declining since before the 2019-20 season even started.

Furthermore, the Blackhawks already have their top two defensive pairings pretty much set. Duncan Keith and Adam Boqvist lead the top pairing while Connor Murphy and Calvin de Haan will likely form the second pairing.

Seabrook could join the third pairing, which is where he has mostly played this season but given the success that Slater Koekkoek and Olli Maatta have had together, breaking them up might not be what’s best for the team.

That said, it never hurts to have defensive depth and Seabrook might be able to provide that if he’s healthy. Then again, he just had two major hip surgeries and shoulder surgery, so there’s a good chance he won’t be ready to make an impact.

In 32 games this season, Seabrook has posted four points while averaging 18:09 of ice time per game, the lowest mark of his career.