The Flames announced via twitter today that they have acquired defenseman Jordan Henry from the Florida Panthers for Keith Seabrook.

This deal is entirely about swapping one non-roster guy for the other. The Flames lent Seabrook to the Manitoba Moose at the end of last season, which usually indicates the organization isn’t terrible enamoured with a player. Henry in a 25-year old undrafted defender out of the WHL who played in the KHL last year. The only marginal benefit I can see from the Flames perspective is Henry is slightly cheaper than Seabrook in terms of salary. 

Seabrook was a former 2nd round pick of the Washington Capitals who was acquired by the Flames in the summer of 2009. He spent a couple of seasons on the farm, but never took a real step forward. A smaller defender, Seabrook’s defense has always been something of question mark. Unfortunately, he never put up the kind of offensive numbers that might push him into the big league, topping out with a career high of 10 goals and 28 points in the AHL.

At 23-years old, there still some growth left in Seabrook, so maybe he’ll progress in the Florida organizaion. Clearly the Flames think he’s reached his peak, however.