Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook is nearing a long-term contract extension with the team, according to The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc.
Kuc confirmed early in the day that Seabrook said he and general manager Stan Bowman had some about a new contract. Then, just hours later, the report came out that the two parties are closing in on a long-term deal.
Seabrook is entering the final year of a five-year contract with an AAV of $5.8 million, making him the team’s highest paid defenseman.
Last year, the 30-year-old defenseman played all 82 games for Chicago, grabbing eight goals and 23 assists. He added an impressive seven goals and four assists in the postseason en route to his third Stanley Cup with the team.
Additionally, Kuc reports that Seabrook has been named an alternate captain for the coming season. Good week to be Brent Seabrook.
Brent Seabrook will be the #Blackhawks' new alternate captain.
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) September 17, 2015
While this is brewing the team is currently projected to have less than a million in cap room remaining. Despite the tight cap situation, the team clearly feels they may need an additional center and an additional defenseman, with the team bringing in Tomas Kopecky, Michal Rozsizal, Kyle Cumiskey, Daniel Paille, Jake Dowell, Jan Hejda and Lubomir Visnovsky on professional tryout contract for camp, which kicks off on Friday for Chicago.
To make room for more depth, it’s possible that the team isn’t done making moves with their roster before the start of the season.
RELATED: The Hockey Writers’ 2015 PTO Tracker
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