Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook a healthy scratch for Tuesday

It has been an eventful week of small moves for the Chicago Blackhawks, who, at the season's halfway mark, are out of playoff contention. The latest: Veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook will be a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game in Ottawa.

Seabrook, 32, carries a cap hit of $6.875 million and has six years remaining on his contract.

Chicago (20-15-6) has enjoyed the emergence of several young defensemen, such as Gustav Forsling, Jordan Oesterle and Jan Rutta. The Blackhawks' current defensive logjam sent veteran Cody Franson to the waiver wire on Monday. Franson cleared waivers and will report to the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, Rockford.

The Blackhawks recalled Erik Gustafsson from Rockford, bringing the total number of defenseman back to eight.

Seabrook, who is an alternate captain, has one goal and 10 assists in 41 games this season. He has played in 964 regular-season games and 123 playoff games for the Blackhawks, winning three Stanley Cups.

It's unclear how long this benching will last, but it's clear coach Joel Quenneville is sending a message to his team.