FEATURE: Rejuvenated Seabrook Not Fully Ready for Postseason Play

It's easy to look at Brent Seabrook's three surgeries -- one on his right shoulder and one on each hip -- and the ensuing recovery from each over the last eight months and say that the veteran has been through a lot to even be on the ice at Fifth Third Arena over the last two weeks. But in all reality, it's been perhaps the most normal part of his recent life.

For at least the last five years, he said, he hadn't been able to sleep right because of chronic shoulder pain. It was an injury that dates back to World Juniors when he was 18 years old. He had surgery then and re-injured the same shoulder his rookie season in Chicago. He and the medical staff opted to strengthen it as opposed to another surgery, figuring they could get 10 good years out of it. They got 15, and a few Cups along the way.

His back too had ailed him for so long, he said, getting out of bed from his painful night of sleep was its own excruciating journey. Even a task like trying to sit on the toilet, a problem.

Now, couple the daily struggles with the fact that both injuries prevented Seabrook from being a typical dad with his three kids, Carter, Kenzie and Dylan. Getting down on the ground to play with them was a painful. Bending over to tie their shoes? Almost out of the question. Throwing a football or a baseball in the backyard? Something he said he hasn't been able to do in years.

Fighting through the physical pain to play hockey and be a leader on and off the ice is one thing. Not being able to live your daily life, even play with your kids away from the rink -- that's a whole different pain.

"I feel incredible," Seabrook told reporters on Friday of how he's feeling post surgery. "Getting down and helping my kids tie their shoes has been nice. Tying my own shoes has been nice, put on a sock, things like that. I'm very happy with the decisions I've made."

The defenseman missed the last four months of the regular season while tending to the much-needed repairs to his body that's seen more than its wear and tear over 1,114 NHL games, plus another 123 playoff tilts. With the delayed end to the season, he was holding out hope to add to his postseason total. After two weeks of training camp, though, Seabrook has pulled himself from the final roster conversation, saying he's not where he needs to be yet to make the impact he needs to on this team.

"My main focus was coming here to play and to see how I felt and get up to speed as fast as I could," Seabrook said. "Just didn't feel comfortable yet, as comfortable as I want to feel on the ice. I think it's definitely coming."

With a 31-man roster set to depart for Edmonton on Sunday, it's conceivable that Seabrook could've traveled as a veteran leadership presence while continuing his rehab in the coming weeks with the extra bodies who don't make the gameday rosters. But as he has for 15 seasons in Chicago, Seabrook put the team before himself.

"There's 31 players and they all need to be playing," he said, dismissing the notion when asked if it was in consideration. "The longer we go in the playoffs, you never know what's going to happen with bodies. You could lose 10 guys in the first game and then Brent Seabrook's taking up a spot and he can't play. I haven't had a discussion like that with (Senior Vice President/General Manager) Stan (Bowman)."

Instead, an inspired Seabrook will continue to workout and train to be at 100 percent for the first time in a long time when training camps open for the 2020-21 season later this year.

"I'm excited with the way it went and excited with the way I felt and I'm looking forward to training hard and figuring out the last few things I need to figure out and be ready for next year," said Seabrook. "I want to come back and not just be a good player for the Blackhawks, but I want to be a great player in the league. I think I'm very capable of doing that, I've done it for a long time and if I get an opportunity here to play, then I'm going to give this team everything I've got like I've always done."