More consistency an important goal for Seider, Red Wings following 2024-25 campaign

DETROIT -- Moritz Seider feels that everything the Detroit Red Wings went through in the 2024-25 season, especially after Todd McLellan was named head coach on Dec. 26, will serve as a strong base for bigger and better things to come.

“[McLellan] found a way to get ourselves going and get a little spark in the locker room,” Seider said in his end-of-season media session on April 19. “Obviously, it will be a different team when he has a full Training Camp, preseason and year with us. I think everyone is looking forward, and [we] want to send a message next year.”

In terms of his individual production this past season, Seider led all Red Wings defensemen in games played (82), goals (eight), assists (38), points (46), power-play goals (four), power-play points (24), shots (162), hits (212), blocks (181) and average time on ice (25:04).

A workhorse on the back end, Seider said he enjoys playing big minutes in big situations.

“That’s what I want to do and strive for,” Seider said. “That’s why we all work hard in the summer, to get in that position to earn those tough minutes. Obviously, we need to be trusted. That’s the message that was sent from Todd. You want to go out there, do everything right and play against the best in the world on a consistent basis. Trying to pull out your A-game all the time isn’t always possible, but you just try to.”

Seider applied that mindset while quarterbacking Detroit’s top power-play unit. Overall, with an extra skater in 2024-25, the Red Wings ranked fourth in the NHL at 27 percent and broke the franchise record for single-season man-advantage efficiency held by the 2008-09 team (25.5 percent).

“The power play was a huge success the whole year,” Seider said. “Obviously struggled in the end a little bit, but I think the goal was to get in the top five, which we did. It was a dominant presence out there. You could kind of know that at least we got momentum even if we didn’t score.”

Seider has played 328 consecutive contests dating back to his NHL debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 14, 2021, marking the longest stretch by a blueliner in franchise history. Along the way, the former first-round pick (No. 6 overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft has spoken of a constant desire to improve.

“No one is perfect,” he said. “You want to be better on the penalty kill and power play. Other than that, 5-on-5 you don’t want to get scored on. If it’s always that easy, then I think nobody would make mistakes. Overall, I can be happy with the season. In the D-zone, there are still some things to improve – try not to think ahead too much, try not to cheat the game, play honest, stay underneath people. Just really be a dominant force out there against the top lines.”

From a team outlook, Seider wants the Red Wings to keep working towards being “harder to play against, especially in the D-zone.”

“I think it’s not only about hitting people, but how fast can we close on our opponent and how much time do they get in our zone until we break it up and get the puck on our tape and break it out again,” Seider said. “If we can define that, then I think we’ll be in good shape and better to play against.”

Detroit tinkered with its defensive pairs throughout the campaign, but Seider was again a mainstay on the club’s top pair. One of his partners was fellow first-round choice (No. 6 overall in 2021) and rookie Simon Edvinsson, with whom Seider said he was impressed with.

“He’s been growing a lot,” Seider said about Edvinsson. “Not physically, but mentally. I think he’s done an excellent job of staying in the moment and not getting ahead of himself or getting too far ahead. Just trying to stay present, enjoy it. He did his work in the gym and on the ice. Obviously, that’s what usually translates onto the ice as well.”

On the ice is where Seider likes to be, and after Detroit’s most recent season concluded, he continued working on his game by captaining Team Germany at the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship from May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark.

“You want to still play hockey at that time of the year,” said Seider, who was also selected as one of the first six players for his native country for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. “Kind of want to prepare yourself for an eventual run, and I take a lot of pride in representing my country. It’s a lot of fun during those times too.”