Detroit's Moritz Seider is set to have a big year
A $59.85 million contract given to Moritz Seider by the Detroit Red Wings this summer is a clear message that the franchise is expecting the 22-year-old defenceman to become a pillar of the organisation.
When he was drafted by Steve Yzerman, Detroit's executive vice-president and general manager, in 2019, (most) pundits considered the pick a pretty big reach. This time around, Yzerman was the visionary and those picking on their couches were the dopes. Seider went on to win the Calder Trophy and is now one of the most promising young blueliners in the game.
Now making north of $8 million a year through his new deal, far and away the most lucrative of any in the league for a defenceman (Edmonton's Cody Ceci, Minnesota's Brock Faber and Buffalo's Owen Power are the closest to Seider), Seider understands there comes with that big pay cheque an even bigger burden to deliver. The grind of a growing cap can weigh heavy on these kids.
The expectation for the next seven years is that Seider will continue to play at a high level and add more to his game. He proved he can handle the toughest minutes in the league this season and was leading the team in ice-time by some stretch at one point. In fact, he already knows of some areas for improvement, such as his consistency (Seider acknowledged this when noting he started the season great but hit a few slumps), his offence and his special teams play (he wants to get Detroit's units in the top 10).
This season, Seider scored 42 points - not bad for a blueliner, but not tops on the power-play assists list either, and he can certainly do better offensively, at least in terms of counting stats, if (when) he breaks the 50-point barrier for a second time, which he did in his first full NHL season.
Crucial to Seider's potential success on this contract might be if he can help his team control games better when the going gets tough, much like he did for Detroit in a difficult season last year. The big workhorse blueliner's ability to go up against top competition was monumental to the Wings during their season last year.
Seider recognises this, and continues to strive for improvement, both at his own end, and in the offensive zone. Throughout the remainder of the season as the Red Wings inch towards playoff eligibility, we will want to see if the player can indeed take his game to another level.
