The Detroit Red Wings are getting started with the 2023-24 season. While the focus is on the product hitting the ice for a fresh slate of games, there is some more to the story that should be kept in mind for Red Wings fans.
Whether Steve Yzerman wants to admit it or not, it’s a big year for Detroit. He claims the focus is not the playoffs; it’s not a playoffs or bust season, but Detroit needs to make that leap. On top of that, they have a couple of players who will be due for new contracts.
One of the big things that needs to be taken care of is hammering out a long-term deal with defenseman Moritz Seider. The former first-round pick and big man on the backend has proven his worth, and the Red Wings need to be ready to back up the BRINKS truck for him.
After the Buffalo Sabres’s recent signing of their prized defender, Owen Power, the market for Seider has to be seeing an uptick. Seider will get paid; the question is how much more that number might have crept up after the Power signing.
Detroit Red Wings defender Moritz Seider’s number may have gone up.
The Detroit Red Wings need to lock up Seider. Not only is he a massive piece of the team’s defense core, but he’s someone that the team needs to have around for the long haul. He’s started to really prove himself, playing a two-way game and being the team’s premier piece on the backend.
Looking at Power’s deal, it was a seven-year, $58.45 million contract extension to stay put in Buffalo. The deal carries an annual value of $8.35 million. The Red Wings have to be taking some notes here.
Power is fresh from his first full campaign with the Sabres after logging nine games in his debut during the 2021-22 season. Last year for the Sabres, the 20-year-old defender played in 79 games, where he scored four goals and added 31 assists for 35 total points on the season. He’s expected to be the player who joins an already exciting crop of defenders in the Sabres backend, with Rasmus Dahlin also coming into his own.
For Detroit, the market has to be similar. Seider had a tremendous first year in 2021-22, playing in all 82 games, scoring seven goals, and adding 43 assists for 50 total points en route to a Calder Trophy-winning performance. He followed that up last year, playing in all 82 games once again for Detroit, scoring five goals and adding 37 assists for 42 total points on the season.
The figures for Detroit have to be similar to those of Power, and I’d suggest Seider gets a bump higher. A while back, I mentioned that the Red Wings should be looking in the 8x$8m and 8x$8.5m range for Seider and that the $8.5m AAV number might be the one that gets it done.
Whether it’s a seven- or eight-year contract, I’d expect that AAV number to be above Power’s $8.35 million and be closer to $8.5 million. It will be interesting to see how things shake out, but one thing is for sure–the Detroit Red Wings cannot afford to lollygag with this contact.