To the surprise of no one, Moritz Seider is once again the Red Wings’ top defenseman, and his ice time and usage reflects it. The German defender, who signed a massive seven-year contract last month, is averaging just north of 24 minutes a game – a jump up from his average ice time of 22:22 last season.
The notion of an NHL club leaning heavily on their top defenseman is far from unique, even if each specific player’s situation is unique from their counterparts’. Seider is the top defender on a Red Wings team that is still building towards the future, especially on their blue line. With that situation comes many challenges, and the 23-year-old has generally risen to all of them.
However, Seider’s current usage and results could be deemed problematic, especially considering how the Red Wings organization likes to develop their young talent. Although it is still very early on in the 2024-25 season, it appears that Detroit’s ambitions for this season once again rest heavily on his shoulders.
Seider’s Usage
Last season, a lot was made of Seider’s usage and how it affected his overall performance. His metrics tell you that the Red Wings spend a lot of time in their own zone when he’s on the ice, and his offensive numbers have mostly stagnated since producing 50 points in his rookie season (he had 42 points in both of his last two seasons.) Based on his usage as well as the financial commitment the organization made to him, there is a lot of belief in Detroit that his numbers do not tell the whole story, and he is primed for better results in the years to come.
Seider routinely takes on the opposition’s best players, plays a role on both the power play and the penalty kill, and he’s been tasked with taking on more of a leadership role this season now that he is the team’s second-highest paid player. That is a lot to ask of any player, let alone a 23-year-old who is the only “sure thing” among a defense group that is filled with question marks. If he is going to take another step forward in his development, he probably needs one or two of his teammates to step up, and soon.
Which Red Wings Could Step Up?
The most obvious answer to this question is Simon Edvinsson, the 21-year-old defenseman that is in the midst of his first full season in the NHL. Drafted sixth overall just two years after the Red Wings took Seider in the same spot, Edvinsson has quickly ascended Detroit’s defensive depth chart, landing him on the top pairing next to Seider.
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To this point in his young NHL career, Edvinsson has been able to tease the offensive game that made him such a highly touted prospect while also showing a defensive game that at least has a solid foundation. He has a relative-Corsi percentage of 5.4 percent at five-on-five (per Hockey Reference), meaning that the Red Wings’ share of offensive chances increase by 5.4 percent whenever he is on the ice. While that’s not a huge increase, it is proof that he has a positive effect on the ice. If he can continue to build in the right direction, he could help alleviate some of the defensive pressure on Seider.
Another player that could possibly step up is Albert Johansson, a 23-year-old defender who made his NHL debut earlier this season after spending years in the Red Wings’ system. He may not be as physically imposing as Seider or Edvinsson, but Johansson is an extremely cerebral player that has already stood out thanks to his ability to make simple, effective defensive plays.
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Red Wings are outshooting their opponents 12-6 while Johansson is on the ice at five-on-five. He averaged less than 12 minutes of ice-time in the two games he has played, but these early results suggest that good things happen when he is one the ice; not only should he play more, but he might be part of the solution to the Red Wings’ defensive woes.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman could also decide to look for help outside of the organization. It was rumored that Detroit tried to acquire Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers around the time of the 2024 NHL Draft, with reports conflicting on how far those talks went. Reading into this rumor tells us that the Red Wings’ front office has an appetite for an addition on the blue line, especially if that addition can also bring some needed physicality to Detroit’s defensive group.
Regardless of who steps up or who the Red Wings trade for, the fact remains that Seider bares the greatest burden on Detroit’s blue line now and for the foreseeable future. While he does not necessarily need someone to come in and take the top spot on the depth chart from him, his ability to take another step forward likely hinges on the Red Wings’ ability to surround him with more talented and competent defenders.
To be fair, the Red Wings’ ability to take another step forward also likely hinges on the same thing.
