How Much Does A Brent Seabrook Buyout Save The Blackhawks?

The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the worst contracts in the NHL right now in Brent Seabrook. There is no getting away from it, and a buyout might not help fix the issue.

Brent Seabrook used to be one of the Blackhawks’ best defensemen. While it might be a little unorthodox, he did earn the contract he currently has, it just is now finally catching up to the team. Seabrook and the Blackhawks are paying the price you pay when you win, and there really is no way the team can get out of it.

Brent Seabrook is signed through the 2023-24 season. His contract is almost seven million dollars, and he is taking up a majority of the cap hit. While I know that Seabrook has expressed an interest to return to the team following multiple surgeries, we just do not know what kind of player we are going to see on the ice.

If Brent Seabrook comes back better than ever then great. He can slot into a top four or bottom pairing position for the next few seasons as the Blackhawks add their new pieces on the blueline. However, things might not go so great when you consider how far down his game has gone.

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Seabrook is not that fast and could end up hurting the team by taking up a roster spot that could go to a guy like Ian Mitchell. With that in mind, it might be best for the team to pursue some type of deal to move Seabrook.

Trading Seabrook is out of the question. No team in the NHL wants to take on a contract like Seabrooks. While we have found suitors for guys like Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell in the past, I do believe that Seabrook’s contract is on an entirely different level.

If the ‘Hawks were to buy out Seabrook they would not save that much money. Next season they would still see a cap hit of almost 6.5 million dollars for Seabrooks contract, while the year after that the number would go down to just 3.5 before going back up to 6.5 in 2022-23. The Seabrook buyout would give the Blackhawks a little bit of spending money for 2021-22 and 2023-24. It might not be the best idea if the Blackhawks are looking to turn around and spend the money, however, if Chicago is looking to move on from Brent Seabrook then this would be the route to go.

It is a sticky situation that the Blackhawks find themselves in. If Seabrook is not ready to move to a position where he is not playing every night, then this is the right move to help get this team moving forward.