Red Wings: Will Moritz Seider Make 2020-2021 Roster
By John Manzo
Do you think Detroit Red Wings defensive prospect Moritz Seider will make the opening day roster next season? Let’s debate.
D-fense! D-fense!
You know the chant, right?
Since the days of Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Chris Chelios and the early days of Niklas Kronwall, it’s been more like “D-fense? D-fense?”
Here’s why the chant has changed its tune.
In 2013, former Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland took forward Anthony Mantha. He followed that up with forward Dylan Larkin in 2014 and forward Evgeny Svechnikov in 2015 before selecting defenseman Dennis Cholowski in 2016.
More forwards followed with Michael Rasmussen in 2017 and the duo of Filip Zadina and Joseph Veleno in 2018 before he was wedged out of town by the savior, Steve Yzerman.
Yzerman then subsequently took defenseman Mortiz Seider.
The top of the 2020 NHL Draft – where the Red Wings likely will select – skews forward. So, if that holds true and the team takes its seventh forward in its past nine picks, does that mean prized defensive prospect Moritz Seider will make the opening day roster?
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Some will say the postponed season will delay that, but I think differently.
Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley and Cody Goloubef are all unrestricted free agents, Madison Bowey is irrelevant, I mean, a restricted free agent, and with Danny DeKeyser slated to return, that leaves the following for opening day:
- DeKeyser
- Filip Hronek
- Patrik Nemeth
- Alex Biega
- Gustov Lindstrom
Will Seider beat out a pending free agent, Joe Hicketts and Choloski?
I think yes. He’s 6-foot-4, 200-plus pounds and is Yzerman’s guy.
He’s shown enough in Grand Rapids with two goals and 20 assists that he’s ready for the NHL.
He’ll also get the playing time without the pressures of having to win on a team that lacks talent – especially on defense.
With Seider in the fold, the Red Wings fans will be one step closer to chanting, “D-fense! D-fense!” Instead of “D-fense? D-fense?”