CHICAGO — Actuality set in for Jonathan Toews when he bought to the Chicago Blackhawks’ locker room Friday morning.
Brent Seabrook’s stall was empty.
“Day 1, just about. He’s not round,” Toews mentioned, “and also you discover it straight away.”
Seabrook has been dominated out for the remainder of the season after years of bodily play lastly caught as much as the regular defenceman, who was scheduled for proper shoulder surgical procedure on Friday. The 34-year-old Seabrook then could have surgical procedure on his proper hip in January and left hip in February.
The Blackhawks additionally will probably be with out Calvin de Haan for the remainder of the yr. The 28-year-old defenceman was scheduled for his personal proper shoulder surgical procedure on Friday.
Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks, Nov. 9, 2017 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Seabrook and de Haan have been positioned on long-term injured reserve, creating important salary-cap house, however leaving Chicago with an enormous void on the again finish.
“From the (teaching) perspective, we’re centered on the gamers we’ve and discover a solution to get it finished,” coach Jeremy Colliton mentioned. “However in fact these guys are actually huge elements of the group, each on and off the ice. Numerous management and strong, dependable-type gamers, which, in fact, we’re going to overlook.”
De Haan was acquired in a June commerce with Carolina. He had surgical procedure on the identical shoulder final low season.
Colliton mentioned each defencemen are anticipated to be prepared for coaching camp subsequent yr. However within the meantime, a run of accidents is making it tougher for last-place Chicago to work its manner into the the playoff race.
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan (left) (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Brandon Saad is predicted to overlook one other three weeks after he damage his proper ankle throughout Chicago’s Four-1 victory at Winnipeg on Dec. 19. Fellow forwards Andrew Shaw and Drake Caggiula are on LTIR as a consequence of concussions, although Caggiula has been skating and will return quickly. Rookie defenceman Adam Boqvist will miss Friday night time’s recreation towards the New York Islanders due to a proper shoulder damage.
Overcoming Massive Losses
“I don’t handle expectations,” Colliton mentioned. “We anticipate to win. We anticipate to compete, give ourselves an opportunity with easy methods to we play.”
The 6-foot-Three Seabrook has been a key participant and chief for Chicago for greater than a decade. He has 103 targets and 361 assists in 1,114 video games since his NHL debut in 2005, plus 20 targets and 39 assists in 123 playoff appearances.
He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
“Such an enormous a part of our room,” ahead Patrick Kane mentioned. “So hopefully he will get his accidents mounted and comes again higher than ever.”
Chicago Blackhawks’ Brent Seabrook (proper) (Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Seabrook was a wholesome scratch for the third time this season when Chicago misplaced Four-1 to Colorado on Dec. 18. The Blackhawks then introduced the subsequent day he was present process additional medical analysis.
Seabrook, who’s underneath contract by the 2023-24 season at a median annual worth of $6,875,000, missed a complete of 9 video games over the earlier six seasons.
“He’s battled by these accidents for a very long time,” defenceman Duncan Keith mentioned. “Anyone else, they in all probability would have been lacking much more time than that over the course of the final a number of seasons. It reveals the form of mentality and the kind of particular person that he’s.”
Keith and Seabrook have been linked since they entered the league collectively. Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner because the league’s greatest defenceman, mentioned he has performed his greatest hockey alongside his longtime pal.
Chicago Blackhawks’ Chris Kunitz, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (AP Photograph/Nam Y. Huh)
“We sit beside one another in each locker room,” Keith mentioned, “so it’s completely different, you understand, not having him on the bus and issues like that. He’s undoubtedly missed, however like I simply mentioned, nothing we will do about it now.”
___
Jay Cohen may be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap
___
Extra AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Jay Cohen, The Related Press
