Flames acquire Keith Seabrook

Continuing his torrid off-season pace, Darryl Sutter traded “future considerations” for WHL defender Keith Seabrook today. Brother of Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook, the former Capitals 2nd rounder was a top pairing defender for the WHL champion Calgary HItmen this past season, scoring an impressive 15 goals and 55 points in 64 games.

While those figures are impressive, keep in mind Seabrook was a 20 year old playing on one of the best squads in the country. His offensive numbers prior to last season (17 points as a 19 year old, for example) indicates his upside is not as high as his most recent output suggests. 

At 6'0 and 200 pounds, Seabrook isn't big, but he apparently is a good skater and passer. I would encourage anyone who has watched Seabrook play the last few seasons in Calgary to pipe up with their own observations in the comments. 

In a way, this is a curious move for the Flames. They have a number of quality defenders in the pipeline (Pelech, Palin, Aulie, Negrin, Brodie, Erixon) so it’s not like it was an organizational need. On the other hand, I have no idea what they traded for Seabrook – anything below a 2nd rounder and it’s probably a good bet to generate some sort of value for the organization.

Seabrook is 21 this year and will be in the mix for Abbotsford.

by Kent Wilson