Brent Seabrook skated with Blackhawks teammates Thursday at their practice facility, Fifth Third Arena, for the first time since the beginning of Phase 2 of the NHL Return to Play Plan.
The defenseman, who turned 35 on April 20, had right shoulder surgery Dec. 27 and separate hip procedures in January and February. He scored four points (three goals, one assist) in 32 games this past regular season. He last played in Chicago’s 5-3 win against the Wild on Dec. 15.
Calvin de Haan, a defenseman, returned to practice for the first time July 2 in Chicago after he had right shoulder surgery in December. He was put on a four-to-six-month timetable to return at the time and had been practicing back home in Ottawa prior to his arrival back in Chicago.
The Blackhawks were 32-30-8 in the regular season and will enter the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference. They will play the No. 5 seed, Oilers, in one of the four best-of-five series between Western teams in Edmonton. The Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto. Chicago will try to advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017, when they were swept as the No. 1 seed by the No. 8 Predators in the Western Conference first round.
Phase 3, which begins with the opening of training camps, is scheduled for Monday, July 13. Teams will then travel July 26 to one of two hub cities, where they will begin Phase 4, the resumption of play, with the qualifiers starting Aug. 1.