The majority of the Detroit Red Wings roster has the next couple weeks off, with the NHL taking a break for the Winter Olympics. For the first time in 12 years, the NHL is allowing it's players to compete for the Gold Medal in men's ice hockey. As most players are on a brief vacation, some of the biggest stars across the league are competing for their respective countries.
There are teams that can be considered the favorites to win the Gold Medal are Canada, United States, and Sweden. Outside of those teams, there are some that have plenty of top talent that could perhaps make a run. One of them is Germany, who are led by Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl. But there is one other impactful player set to compete on Team Germany, and that's Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider.
Moritz Seider set to have important role for Germany in 2026 Winter Olympics
Seider is set to be Germany's top defender, and they are going to need him. Germany is in Group C, which features Latvia, Denmark, and the heavily-favored United States. Germany will be looking to pull off an upset against Team USA, but they boast an incredible forwards group, even after some questionable decisions by their General Manager Bill Guerin. Germany will have to stop the likes of Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Jake Guentzel, Jack Hughes, and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. They are going to be a handful.
Seider being on the ice should help negate some of their forward's pressure. Sure, he will do so to help Germany pull off an upset, but it will provide him with the necessary high-stakes matchups that will only help him when he returns to the NHL. That will only help the Red Wings, who look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and are firmly in the hunt to clinch a spot in the final stretch of the season.
Seider enters the Olympics playing as a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate, an award that was basically being handed to Cale Makar this season. Through 58 games, Seider recorded seven goals, 31 assists, a plus/minus ratio of +13, 130 blocked shots, 88 hits, and 20 takeaways. There's a reason why the Wings decided to keep him around long-term on a seven-year, $59.85 million contract extension, and it already looks like a bargain considering he is 17th among all defensemen in terms of annual salary.
It will be interesting to see how Seider performs during the Winter Olympics. While he is tasked with shutting down some of the top scorers in the game, Germany does have a pretty solid top to their forwards group as well, with Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, J.J. Peterka, and Nico Sturm. Seider will get to show the world why he is one of the top defenders in the game, and that he's come a long way since the debate as to whether he was drafted too high by the Red Wings in 2019.
Germany plays its first game Thursday, Feb. 12, where they take on Denmark at 3:00 p.m. ET.