When two teams have been rebuilding simultaneously in the same division, they’re bound to share a rivalry. While the Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres aren’t historic rivals, they seem to be in a never-ending race to be the first team to end their respective playoff drought, with the Ottawa Senators also factoring in.
Still, with all eyes on the Red Wings and Sabres, questions between the two teams arise, as do similarities. That said, a debate between which blueliner is the better one to build around naturally springs up.
On one end, we got Moritz Seider, and the other, Rasmus Dahlin. Both are among the better blueliners in hockey, even if one wouldn’t classify them as ‘elite,’ or at least that’s currently the case.
And one writer over at NHL.com, Dan Rosen, seems to be entrenched that the Red Wings have the better of the two blueliners. Rosen said, “...if I'm starting a team and I have to choose between two relatively equal talents on the back end, I'm choosing the younger one. I'll get more years out of him. Secondly, Seider is right-handed shot; Dahlin is a lefty. I want the righty. I don't have a study on this, but top pair right-handed defenseman seem harder to come by. In fact, entering Tuesday, only 19 of the 52 defensemen who have at least 25 points this season are righties.”
Dan Rosen makes a plethora of good points about Moritz Seider
There’s not a single point here Rosen makes that I disagree with. Anyone who knows me will acknowledge that I like to take age into consideration. And if I had to choose between a group of players, whether it’s two or more, I’m likely going with one of the younger, if not the youngest, talent.
I also like what Rosen said about Seider’s handedness. It’s almost like the right-shot defenseman is becoming more of a luxury these days, so when you have an opportunity to grab one at Seider’s caliber, you take it.
Not only can Seider be a franchise player along with a few others like Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin, but he’s also one who can routinely give opponents headaches when they play against him. That’s the type of player anyone with rational logic would want on their hockey team, hands down.
Seider doesn’t carry an advantage in everything, but still…
Many will point to Dahlin’s productivity and claim Seider has nothing on him. And so far, Dahlin’s scoring like a forward, with 11 goals and 51 points through 55 games. Meanwhile, Seider has 37 points and six goals through 64 contests, and that gives Dahlin a clear edge.
Still, Seider is far more durable than Dahlin, having played in all 82 games over the past three seasons and 64 this year. Dahlin’s missed several contests already this season and has missed at least one game per year since the NHL reverted back to its 82-game schedule.
Seider is also capable of logging more ice time, something he’s proven this year with 25:10 while Dahlin has just 24:22 per game. And finally, Seider is much more willing to punish opposing players with bone-crunching body checks. If he can’t hit an opponent, he’s got enough sense to deny shots on goal.
Dahlin is also capable, with 80 blocks and 73 hits. But when you factor Seider’s numbers in there, he's at 144 and 176, respectively, in the same category. Dahlin may log more production offensively, but if you want the more complete player to build a team around, it’s Seider.