The Detroit Red Wings faithful should be more than happy with how Moritz Seider has played throughout the 2023-24 season. There's been seemingly, a lot of controversy around the team's third-year defender and how his advanced metrics grade out.
It takes a Detroit Red Wings fan one game to watch Moritz Seider play to realize how vital he is to this team's operation. He's the team's top defender, regardless of what the metrics may suggest. He will lock down that top pairing for a long time, and his play this first half has been great.
His offensive numbers could improve and are a tick down from where they were a year ago, but Seider has been effective overall. Slander toward the team's German defender is just silly. He will get paid and be a long-time NHL defender for the Red Wings.
But as we continue with our Octopus Thrower midseason report cards, let's dive into the team's big-bodied defender. Seider is next up as we continue to grade the team's performances through the first half of the season. Seider was solid; even if there's room for long-term improvement, he's done well in 2023-24.
Moritz Seider has the core of the Detroit Red Wings backend.
It's pretty tried and true with Seider in year three. He's steady on the backend. He will give you that physical defensive zone defenseman that every team needs. He's big and uses the body well, playing physically, which is something the Red Wings can always stand to add some more physicality.
But Seider's also able to help out offensively. Sure, he's not going out and scoring 10+ goals each year, but he finds the back of the net here and there. The real thing worth mentioning is his ability to create scoring chances. He may not be Nicklas Lidstrom, but no one is asking him to be.
Seider can work the top of the zone, walk the blue line, and put pucks on the net. He can find the open man and be a force in the offensive zone to manufacture scoring chances. This also carries over to special teams when the team is on the power play. The point is Seider finds ways to positively impact this team.
Anyone who's all about analytics and views advanced metrics as the only form of player evaluation should stop reading. Seider has been more than good for Detroit this year. A downturn in offense or not, he's been just fine playing on the top-pairing and going up against the toughest opponents on other teams night in and night out.
In 2023-24, Seider has 50 played in all 50 games, where he has six goals and 20 assists for 26 total points. He's a plus-two and is averaging 22:24 in ice time each night. Half his points (exactly (3G-10A--13PTS) have come while the Red Wings are on the power play, speaking to his value there.
His Corsi rating is 45.2%, which is below the team average, but I really don't think it holds much weight right now. After all, Seider has been on the ice for more goals than have been scored while he's on the ice, and that's worth noting. Sure, the offense could tick up a bit, but he's doing an excellent job for Detroit.
Seider has been exactly what the Detroit Red Wings have needed for years. The last three years, seeing him start coming into his own as an NHL defenseman, has been great. There's room to improve the offensive numbers, but if he can continue to go toe-to-toe with the other team's top line, it's a sacrifice Detroit should be willing to make.
Being able to go out and hang with the perennial goalscorers and top-tier lines that other teams throw at Detroti means a lot, and he's done that countless times in 2023-24. The biggest example comes when he handled Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid when the (then) red-hot Edmonton Oilers were in town before the break.
He did it against Tampa Bay; being able to find ways to neutralize the game's biggest stars has to hold value, whether the advanced metrics agree or not. Seider gets an "A" in my book for his performance in the first half.