Blackhawks Announce 5 Year Deal With Brent Seabrook

Added on Feb 28, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

The Blackhawks have been talking about re-signing Brent Seabrook for sometime, but they finally got it done. They announced Seabrook and the Hawks agreed to a five-year, $29 million contract extension.

ESPN is reporting it will be a yearly $5.8 million cap hit. Seabrook will make $7 million in both 2011-12 and 2012-13, comprised of a $5 million salary and $2 million signing bonus, according to the source. He will then make $5 million a season from 2013-16, according to the source. Seabrook said of the deal “The Blackhawks are the only organization I’ve ever played for, and I’ve been a part of something very special in Chicago over the last six seasons. I’m excited to continue being a part of this group, playing in the United Center and making our fans proud.” The 25 year old was in the last year of a 3 year dea, and was to be a restricted free agent at the season’s end.

Blackhawks Vice President and General Manager Stan Bowman said the hawks had always planned to resign Seabrook, and it was just a matter of talking it all out. He said “We’re getting close to where you want to get it done or set it aside. We both realized it had gotten to that point and motivated both of us to really get it finished.” He went on to say “We knew all along we wanted to sign Brent, and he was a big part of what we’ve accomplished here. It took a little bit longer than I guess we both wanted but these things do. Just happy that it got done.”

Seabrook has four goals and 29 assists and a plus-2 rating this season for the Blackhawks. Bowman continued “He’s been a fixture on our defense. He came up as a 20-year-old kid. He didn’t spend any time in the minor leagues. He came in right away and made our team. He’s been an NHL player ever since. Each year he’s been getting better. I’m not sure he’s reached his potential. That factored into it.” Bowman concluded “Brent is a very important member of our organization and we are looking forward to him being part of a core group that will be a contender for many years to come. We have been fortunate to have Brent as part of our family since he was a teenager and we are proud to be able to announce this news today.”

Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said of Seabrook, “He’s a big part of the team and I think you’ve got to appreciate what he brings to us. He’s got great leadership qualities. He plays quality minutes — power-play, penalty killing, matchup minutes. He’s a physical presence back there and (along with Duncan Keith) was really instrumental in us winning the Cup.” Quenneville said he is glad Seabrook is doing so well. He concluded “ He’s still doing a lot of good things for us right now and is part of that mix that would be nice to have here for a long time.”