This has been the Summer of Moritz Seider.
Between heaps of praise from general managers and scouts to plenty of media appearances, it feels as if something is on the horizon for the Detroit Red Wings defenseman. What that might be is anyone's guess, but a scout interviewed by The Athletic believes this next season will be a big one for Seider.
“He’s already good, but I think he’s about to take another step,” a scout said. “Not offensively. I think he’s going to be an bigger f---ing problem defensively.”
Last season, Seider hit career highs in points, securing 60 in 82 games. On top of this, he played the third most minutes per game in the NHL with an average of 25:40 a night. Only two other players in the NHL played more: Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski and Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Whether it's due to trust or lack of depth is up to interpretation, but it's clear that the Red Wings have a legitimate star on their hands with Seider.
Seider earns franchise defenseman tier
Of the five tiers listed on The Athletic's article, Seider earns his spot in the second tier of player. (The top tier, MVP, is reserved for generational talents like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, respectively). Here's what the writers had to say about Seider's game:
"Seider is a franchise defenseman. The Red Wings looked like a juggernaut with Seider on the ice last year...and completely inept otherwise."
The article goes on to call Seider a unique specimen capable of taking over games. The staff believes that he has the potential to be one of the five best defensemen in the world. What separates him from the rest of the pack, per the article, is his monstrous defensive game. This, of course, is no surprise to anyone that's watched Seider for more than a few moments.
Last season, Seider finished the year fifth in Norris Trophy voting, nearly securing a finalist spot. This time around, he'll have an entire offseason to continue to improve and show how close he is to taking that next step.
Other Red Wings earn recognition
Seider wasn't the only one to grace the tier list. Lucas Raymond sits squarely in the next tier as an All-Star caliber player, joined shortly after by Alex DeBrincat, Simon Edvinsson and soon-to-be-former captain Dylan Larkin in the fourth tier.
Raymond in particular earned comments about his potential. “I like where you have him," an NHL analyst said. "He’s quietly becoming one of the league's better offensive players, drivers — he’s producing like a first-line winger and the defense is improving steadily."
Simon Edvinsson, on the other hand, received some particularly exciting commentary regarding his potential. "I’d have him way, way higher," an executive said when they learned of Simon Edvinsson's ranking. "The breakout has already happened.”
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