Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen compares Moritz Seider to Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Vladimir Konstantinov, Reed Larson and Willie Huber in an article discussing the ages and levels of experience with which fabled Red Wings rookie defenders took to the ice at the NHL level:
The buzz surrounding defenseman Moritz Seider’s upcoming first season with the Red Wings may be the greatest fan response to a drafted defenseman the team has ever known.
The Red Wings haven’t truly had a top prospect defenseman since social media raised the ante on hype. Fans were not as excited, and definitely not as knowledgeable, about Nicklas Lidstrom when he showed up in Detroit as a rookie in 1991-92. Niklas Kronwall’s fan response came after fans saw him play some games.
Seider will be 20 years and six months old when the NHL season opens. He posted seven goals and 28 points last season in the Swedish League. He also played confidently against NHLers at the World Championships. But it’s still challenging to predict what his production will be. Could he score 10 goals? How about 40 points? Will he lead the Red Wings in hits? Is he ready for the power play?
As a basis for comparison, here is a look at the rookie output for some of Detroit’s top defensemen:
