The Chicago Blackhawks announced an eight-year, $55 million contract extension with the defenceman on Saturday.
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Per Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman, Seabrook is set to earn an average of $6.85 million per year, which would equate to a total of $54.8 million. The 30-year-old Seabrook has proven his mettle time and again in the season’s biggest moments for the franchise and has been a major component of their three Stanley Cup wins over the past six seasons.
Even with all of their salary cap struggles over the years the Chicago Blackhawks always find a way to keep their core players. The new deal will go into effect starting in 2016-17 and run through 2023-24. Seabrook’s extension means the Blackhawks have their top two defenders locked up well into the future.
That group accounts for a lot of cap space and may not look quite as good four years from now, but it still makes sense in the present for the ‘Hawks whose championship window is now and not five years down the road.
That gives the Blackhawks Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa, Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford all under contract through at least the 2019-20 season.
The Blackhawks have been extremely loyal to their core players and have been rewarded with three Stanley Cups in six years.
Given how much success they’ve seen recently, though, that may be worth it – and for Seabrook, who is set to be paid until he’s 39, that’s probably just fine as well.
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Brent Seabrook will likely be a member of the Chicago Blackhawks for years to come.
