Detroit Red Wings: Moritz Seider is stepping up his physical presence

Since making his debut for the Detroit Red Wings at the start of the 2021-22 season, Moritz Seider has had an enormous positive impact on the team. The big man has brought a solid physical presence to the Detroit blue line and has become known for his big hits and the tough physical style that he plays the game with.

So far this season, he has stepped up his physical presence after the whistle and has been roughing it up more while sending a message to his opponents that he is ready to mix it up. Seider has been much tougher after the whistle this season, sticking up for himself and his Detroit Red Wings teammates.

Seider started the regular season strong at the home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning by mixing it up with Brayden Point right in front of the Detroit goal. After making an excellent defensive play on Point, he ran his glove across Point’s face and started a shoving match that broke out into a big scrum after the play.

He was then jumped from behind by Mikhail Sergachev and thrown to the ice. Seider got back to his feet and quickly held his own against Sergachev before they both went back to the ice, and the scrum was broken up.

Detroit Red Wings defender Moritz Seider is even more physical in 2023-24.

When the Detroit Red Wings played Pittsburgh recently, Seider was able to get under Evgeni Malkin’s skin and get him wrapped up in a scrum. The Penguins were on a power play, and when Malkin came after Ville Husso when he covered the puck, Seider grabbed Malkin’s head, pulled him away from Husso, and kept him tied up as they went to the ice. He continued to aggravate Makin and was able to draw a double minor roughing call for Malkin, while he only received a single minor and stopped the power play.

In the recent game against the Seattle Kraken, Seider got into it with Matty Beniers after getting tied up in the corner with Jordan Eberle. He put his glove in Beniers’ face and then put him right up against the glass and was throwing him around before more of the Kraken got involved in the scrum. As the other Kraken were coming to the corner, Seider was ready to go after them, too. This put both of them in the box, so it didn’t result in a power play for Seattle.

Seider is bringing just the right amount of physicality. These are just some examples of how he’s bringing that physicality more often in 2023-24. In past seasons, Seider would have been tough without pushing as hard and getting under people’s skin.

He seems to have a little tougher edge to his game after the play, and it’s a game-changer. The best part to me is that he isn’t pushing it too far and putting himself or the team in a bad spot; he is pushing just enough to get the job done without causing big trouble. Maybe he’ll drop the gloves with someone this season and put his long reach to good use!