The age-old question with the Red Wings is, "What is the defense going to look like?" which is a weird problem to have when you've used 22 of the 59 draft picks you've had since 2019 were on defense. Nevertheless, the question has to be asked, and this upcoming season likely has more question marks than any previous season.
While Steve Yzerman didn't make a lot of changes to the blue line, there was one big move in particular that has seemingly thrown the entire blue line into a state of confusion. That move was the Red Wings trading Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks right before free agency starting in the summer. Walman was the lefty next to Moritz Seider for most of last season and was able to produce incredibly well, becoming the first Red Wings defenseman to hit the 10+ goal mark since Mike Green did it during the 2016-17 season.
In addition to losing Walman, the Red Wings also signed defenseman William Lagesson during free agency, while they already had five established NHL defensemen as well as prospects who are more than ready to make the jump to the NHL. In total, they have eight defensemen who have the potential to be on the Red Wings roster next season, and due to the sheer amount of defensemen they now have available to them, we don't know what the defensive pairings are going to be.
Seider/Chiarot likely to be the top pair to start the season
While I know none of us want to hear it, Seider and Chiarot are likely going to end up as the top pair for a good portion of next season. They've been paired together pretty often including Chiarot's first season with the Red Wings. Though, It is pretty clear how many Red Wings fans feel about this pairing in general.
“Seider back with Chiarot” pic.twitter.com/RQx7HOMcWL
— supernintendo chalmers (@helmerroids) February 10, 2023
However, after Walman went down with an injury last season, Chiarot stepped up in a big way and did a complete 180 after his pretty abysmal first season. Hopefully, he'll be able to keep up the same level of play that he did last season and be a competent partner to Seider.
Mo, however, is a different story. He and Walman were given the toughest matchups in the entire league last season, and Seider himself was given historically difficult minutes. Playing against the McDavids and the Kucherovs of the NHL is no easy task, and while it ended up hurting his metrics, it's clear that it's having a positive effect on his regular development. At this point, it's just a matter of whether the other defensive pairings can pick up some slack.