NHL.com’s polled its writers as to which players might be able to earn the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie. While Moritz Seider has an uphill battle among a crowded field that includes Cole Caufield, Spencer Knight and Trevor Zegras, NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman believes that Seider could still contend for the Calder:
Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings: Seider has excelled at every level he’s played the past three seasons, and the 20-year-old looks ready to do the same in the NHL. As a 17-year-old in 2018-19, he was named rookie of the year in Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the top professional league in his native Germany. Then as one of the youngest players in the AHL in 2019-20, he scored 22 points (two goals, 20 assists) in 49 games with Grand Rapids. Last season, he scored 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists) in 41 games with Rogle in the Swedish Hockey League and was named the league’s best defenseman. He also had five assists in 10 games for Germany at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and was named the tournament’s best defenseman. Seider has a chance to be a linchpin in the Red Wings’ rebuilding effort, and that could include the Calder Trophy this season. — Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
The article continues, and I can only speak from my 30-year history as a hockey fan (I was a late bloomer, coming to the game at 13 years of age)…
But Nicklas Lidstrom of all people was unable to beat the buzz surrounding Pavel Bure’s Calder candidacy in 1992, so I’d expect Caufield or Zegras to take home the trophy unless Seider is absolutely extraordinary during the 2021-2022 season.
