Where Does Moritz Seider Rank Amongst NHL Defenseman?
By Evan Mead
Where Does Moritz Seider Rank Amongst NHL Defenseman?
Moritz Seider is a one-of-a-kind player. Putting up 50 points this past season, it makes you wonder how good he could be looking into his future. Could he be a Roman Josi/Victor Hedman type player where he consistantly puts up 70+ points? I mean, that’s only 20 more points than he had this past season. So is that a realistic expectation? I would sure say so.
If Seider continues on the trajectory that I foresee him being on, I feel that he will undoubtedly be leading the charge with Cale Makar, Charlie McAvoy and many other young, talented, defenseman.
So, with that being said, I think I’ve put you guys through enough, so let’s get right into the rankings.
1.) Cale Makar, RHD, Colorado Avalanche
The great one(Wayne Gretzky) said on national television how he feels that Cale Makar can be as good as Bobby Orr was back in the day… That’s some pretty high praise. But after watching him play all season long, I can absolutley see what he’s talking about.
Cale Makar was one of the most dominant defenseman I’d ever seen. He was almost superhuman in the offensive zone putting up 28 goals and 58 assists for a total of 86 points in 77 games. As a defenseman, he finished with over a point per game… In less games! He was able to make plays to his teammates, and if he couldn’t do that, then he could shoot the puck. It’s pretty impressive.
Now, we all know what a talented offensive defenseman he is, but that’s not his only strength. He also finished this season with a +/- of +48. Which, if that doesn’t tell you just how good this guy was in the D-zone, I don’t know what will.
I’m fully expecting him to win the Norris trophy this year and in my opinion, it’s not really that close.
2.) Roman Josi, LHD, Nashville Predators
We wen’t from one central division defenseman to another with this pick here. We all know how good Cale Makar was this past season as his name has been all over every statistical chart and NHL social media account known to man. But, Josi was no knock off version of Makar either. Josi made a huge impact on a rather lackluster team if you ask me. Outside off Juuse Saros, Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, and Roman Josi, there isn’t much there. Or at least not top tier players.
Roman Josi this past season played in 80 games for the Nashville Predators and was by far and away their best offensive player. In those 80 games that he played in this past season, Josi finished with 23 goals, 73 assists for 96 points. Additionally, he also had a +/- of 13. All-the-while recording an average of 25:33 on the ice.
People can say all they want about Cale Makar being the best defenseman in the league, but don’t sleep on Josi. He made his mark with the Predators this past season and was a huge, huge, huge reason why they made the playoffs. Without Josi this past season, the Predators don’t make the playoffs and I don’t think they even compete for a spot.
Josi is so valuable to the organization and that’s part of the appeal. You don’t just go out in the draft and find a defenseman who can put up 100 points in a singular season.
3.) Victor Hedman, LHD, Tampa Bay Lightning
Surprise, surprise- the three Norris trophy candidates come back-to-back-to-back to start this list. First, Cale Makar. Second, Roman Josi. And third, Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman, and third ranked defenseman on this list, Victor Hedman.
Victor Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning are currently competing in their third straight stanley cup and are facing off against Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche and I feel its safe to say that Hedman and the entire Lightning team hasn’t played the way they wanted. However, that doesn’t really effect my rankings all that much.
Despite Hedman not contributing much in this round of the playoffs, he is still one of the best in the game. Having played in all 82 games for the Lightning, he is dependable. But his production on the other hand makes him untradeable.
In those 82 games that he played in, he was able to record 20 goals, 65 assists for 85 total points. Furthermore, he also finished the season with a +26. He is a terrific defenseman in both the offensive zone and defensive zone and it shouldn’t be all that surprising that he is third on this list.
4.) Adam Fox, RHD, New York Rangers
The reiging Norris trophy winner, Adam Fox, ranks fourth on my list of defenseman rankings.
Adam Fox, compared to the other top names on this list, had a down year. Now, it’s easy to say that when we don’t actually play in the game, but compared to some of the other names that he’s supposed to be in the tier with(Hedman, Josi, Makar), he isn’t. Personally, I feel that the tier splits after Hedman. And, with that, Fox leads the second tier.
Playing in 78 games this past season with the New York Rangers, he recorded 11 goals, 63 assists for 74 total points. A little below a point per game.
Now, a point per game for a defenseman is spectactular, but that’s exactly why I don’t have Fox in the elite tier. Makar, Josi and Hedman are all PPG defenseman and Fox isn’t. Even defensively, he’s not as good as some of the other names.
5.) Aaron Ekblad, RHD, Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad really came out strong this season which excited many fans in Florida. After being selected in the first-round a couple years ago by the Panthers, they’ve been waiting for him to really step up and this was the season he did so.
Having played in 61 games this past season, he was able to tally 15 goals and 42 assists for a total of 57 points. Additionally, he also had a +38 which goes to show how strong of a defensive player he is.
Ekblad had to play through a lot of injuries this season and missed a lot of games in doing so. However, when Ekblad was on the ice, it was obvious. The team always played so much better offensively and defensively when he was out there. I truly feel he’s cemented himself as a top defenseman in the NHL heading into next season.
6.) Charlie McAvoy, RHD, Boston Bruins
Charlie McAvoy is the cornerstrone defenseman of the Boston Bruins. That’s not surprising information. Everybody knows it. McAvoy is going to be a top notch defenseman for years, and years, and years to come.
McAvoy, going into this past season, was projected to be a potential 30 goal scorer this season, but that wasn’t the case. Now, although that seemed like a reach, it’s probably going to happen as he continues to grow and become a better, more well-rounded, player.
McAvoy this past season missed multiple games due to injury which for sure impacted his play. However, even with him having problems with injuries this season, he was still able to put up 56 points in 78 games while having a +/- of +31.
His defense and big body play style makes him a force in the boards and someone you don’t generally want to mess with. He had hits make the highlight reel all season long, but he also showed great potential with his offensive game. I expect him to be very close with Seider throughout most of their careers.
7.) Quinn Hughes, LHD, Vancouver Canucks
Quinn Hughes, who is one of the three Hughes’, has been a very good offensive defenseman for the Canucks since coming into the league in 2019.
With great skating, and a terriric offensive skill-set, it’s easy to think that he is the future of the Canucks franchise. He has the skill-set to go down as one of the best offenisve defenseman they’ve had in some time.
This past season Hughes played in 76 games for the Canucks. In those 76 games he had eight goals and 60 assists for a total of 68 points. Being ony eight points away from a point per game, and not even being in his prime yet, just goes to show he has the potential to be in the conversation with McAvoy, Seider, Ekblad, and Fox consistantly. Now, he will have to improve his defense in order for that to happen though.
In those 76 games he played in this past season he only had a +10. The year before that he had a -24, and the year before that he had a -10. Not great for a defenseman. But that’s not who he is as a player. He’s just not a very talented defenseman. But you have to admire what he can do with the puck on his stick.
8.) Moritz Seider, RHD, Detroit Red Wings
You read through most of this article in order to get to this moment, and now you know. In my rankings, I have Moritz Seider as my eight ranked defenseman.
Now, I’m sure there is bias there and I’ll be upfront about it, but his play from this past season showed me that he can really take over a game and that’s why I think going into next season he will be a top 10 defenseman.
This year he played in all 82 games for the Red Wings and played well. With seven goals and 43 assists for 50 total points, it’s probably a fair statement to think this upcoming season he could hit 50 assists and 10-14 goals. Which, if he does do that, he’d be competing with players like Morgan Rielly, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy and a bunch of other names for a spot inside the top 10 every season.
Seider is an impressive player and I think that, with a new coach, you could see him do really, really, really well.