Moritz Seider is a pretty good defenseman — so good in fact, that he ranked 20th on the NHL Network’s “Top 20 Defensemen Right Now” list. He is even good enough to beg the question of whether he should’ve landed higher in the ranking.
As far as his ranking goes, here’s what the NHL Network had to say about him:
Seider has not missed a game in his three NHL seasons, which included 42 points last season (nine goals, 33 assists), 17 power-play points, while leading Detroit in ice time per game (22:22) for the third straight season. The 23-year-old was also the only player to have at least 200 hits (211) and 200 blocks (212) last season. Seider won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Seider’s ranking by the NHL Network attempts to answer a question that has NHL observers split. To some who weigh the statistics, his 45% Corsi and 42.7% expected goals percentages leave more to be desired. Judging on pure results, Seider isn’t quite one of the best, even if he is quite good.
To others, the context of Seider’s unrivaled usage makes him underrated. No one faces more minutes against elite matchups last season even if his results weren’t chart-topping, and the lack of an elite supporting cast drags him down. Stylistically, he plays in a physical manner that doesn’t always get the most love.
Which side is right about Seider? The real answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. This makes it difficult to assess his value, exemplified by his yet-to-be-resolved restricted free agency negotiations. It’s no stretch of the imagination to think that Seider could be even better as he continues to grow and develop. Putting a price tag on his production both now and in the future requires some serious contemplation.
Perhaps on future “Top 20” lists, Seider may wind up ranking even higher. One of the areas holding him back in comparison to his peers is his scoring. So far, he topped out at 50 points in his Calder-winning rookie season, following that up with back-to-back 42-point campaigns the past two seasons. In the context of defensive usage, those are respectable totals, but they pale in comparison to more scoring-focused peers like Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar or Roman Josi who these sorts of lists revere. Only Dougie Hamilton (19th) Jaccob Slavin (13th) and Gustav Forsling (sixth) ranked higher on the NHL Network list this year while scoring fewer points than Seider. In Hamilton’s case, he would have scored more had he not missed 62 games due to injury.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
However, Seider could see more usage in scoring situations with Detroit’s offseason shakeups to the power play units and the arrival of shutdown defender Simon Edvinsson to the NHL. If the Red Wings can afford to allot more of Seider’s ice time toward scoring, he could have a breakout season from a scoring standpoint.
More valuable than an offseason ranking, a high-scoring Seider would also help Detroit win hockey games. After losing significant blue line scoring with the loss of Shayne Gostisbehere and the trade of Jake Walman, Seider could fill some percentage of their shoes.
Whether this season sees Seider make any leaps or not, he remains one of the league’s top blueliners. That’s what his 20th ranking means, and it’s what makes him so valuable to the Red Wings.
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