Seabrook won't play for Blackhawks in postseason

CHICAGO -- Brent Seabrook said he will not join the Chicago Blackhawks when they leave for Edmonton on Sunday to play in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.

"I just don't feel comfortable yet, as comfortable as I want to feel on the ice," the defenseman said Friday. "My understanding of the way whole thing works is there are 31 players and they all need to be playing. The longer we go in the playoffs, you never know what's going to happen with bodies. We could lose 10 guys in the first game, then Brent Seabrook's taking up a spot and can't play."

Teams are allowed to have up to 31 skaters, including goalies, travel with them to the two hub cities, Edmonton for the Western Conference and Toronto for the Eastern Conference, and those will be the only players allowed to participate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Coach Jeremy Colliton said the Blackhawks are finalizing their roster, due at 5 p.m. Friday, and would not say who else isn't going to Edmonton. The 12th-seeded Blackhawks (32-30-8, .514 points percentage) play the fifth-seeded Edmonton Oilers (37-25-9, .585) in a Western Conference best-of-5 qualifier series beginning Aug. 1. The winner advances to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The loser will have a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery, to be held Aug. 10.

Chicago has an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHLN, NBCSCH+, FS-MW+, NHL.TV).

Seabrook had surgery three times during the regular season; on his right shoulder Dec. 27, on his left hip in January and on his right hip on Feb. 6. After the third surgery, Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said the 35-year-old would need 5-6 months to recover. He began skating with the Blackhawks for Phase 2 voluntary workouts at their practice facility July 9 and participated in every practice during training camp, which began July 13.

"Obviously, we all are aware of the surgeries he's had and recovery time, but he thought, and it was driven by Brent, he wanted to see where he was at, he would come to camp and make an attempt to play," Colliton said. "After almost two weeks here, it was his feeling he wasn't at the level he wanted to be at. It's been great to have him here, and hopefully that'll help him as he goes into his offseason and tries to get to a level where he can be one of our top-six defensemen every night, because that's what he wants to do. This two-week process will help him going forward."

Seabrook, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015, hasn't played since Dec. 15, when he played 18:38 of ice time in a 5-3 win against the Minnesota Wild at United Center. He had four points (three goals, one assist) in 32 games this season and has 464 points (103 goals, 361 assists) in 1,114 games, all with the Blackhawks. His eight-year contract extension (annual average value of $6.875 million), which he agreed to on Sept. 26, 2015, runs through the 2023-24 season.

"I wouldn't have been here if I didn't think I could play," Seabrook said. "I'm going to skate again tomorrow and be with the team. I think looking back now, it was good for me to see where I'm at, see what I still have to work on and the things I have to get better at and stronger with and continue to heal to be ready for camp next year."

Goalie Corey Crawford (unfit to play) did not practice Friday; he has not participated in training camp, nor did he take part in the voluntary workouts, which began June 8. Defenseman Connor Murphy (groin) skated separate from the main group Friday.