The Detroit Red Wings have been starved for legitimate stars for so long that it can be hard to recognize them.
Fortunately, it's not hard to see defenseman Moritz Seider for what he is: a bona fide superstar.
While a 10 goal, 60-point campaign might not scream "superstar", it's when you look beyond surface-level metrics that you see Seider's skill. Only two other players were trusted with more minutes per game than Seider: Quinn Hughes and Norris finalist Zach Werenski. Seider's defensive impact is so substantial that he led NHL defenseman in practically every advanced metric that exists.
While Alex DeBrincat did have an impressive season, it's hard to say any player was better for the Red Wings than Moritz Seider in 2025-26.
Moritz Seider's defensive dominance
Few players dominate the game defensively like Seider. Every advanced stat shows that, when Seider is on the ice, the Red Wings measurably improve. With him off the ice, the team struggled to stay out of their own end. Seider started in the defensive zone more than everyone else on the Red Wings, playing an average of 25:40 a night.
His teammates know full well just how dominant he can be.
"He's a different player than Zach and (Quinn) Hughes and Makar, but he's just as important to our team," said captain Dylan Larkin. "I can't say enough good things about him and how tough he is, how hard he is. Those guys don't grow on trees, and to get a guy like that who eats minutes and sacrifices his body, he can make plays and he has confidence to do it."
When looking at Seider's durability, he becomes even more fearsome. Seider has 410 career NHL games under his belt. In five NHL seasons, he has yet to miss a single game. If this trend continues, he'll be among the select few in the Iron Man Club of the most durable NHLers in history. To have a player at the level Seider plays while also knowing you can count on him every night is a huge relief for this defensive corops.
How Seider can hit new highs next season
As the team has continued to improve, so have Seider's numbers. His defensive metrics hit a new high with Simon Edvinsson as his line mate. Seider hit career highs in goals (10) assists (50) and points (60) as the offense in front of him has continued to improve.
Next season, if the Red Wings can figure out their defensive depth, they can take some of the stress off Seider. Better depth offensively will open up more scoring chances for the German defender. A more consistent offensive and defensive schema should more than benefit Seider as the team pushes for the playoffs.
All in all, this season was nothing short of a resounding success for Seider individually -- though, in his own words, he would have rather just made the playoffs.
"It's nice when things are showing up on the scoresheet, but I've said it every year: It's not about that," Seider said. "Everyone would shave down a couple of points and put them on top of the team effort and hopefully get us in (the playoffs)."
Here's to hoping they can pull it off next season.
Final Grade: A+
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