MLive’s Ansar Khan projected the Red Wings’ forward lines yesterday, and, this morning, Khan examines the probable pairings on defense and examines the hierarchy (or lack thereof) in goal:
Defense pairs (left-right)
First pair: Ben Chiarot-Moritz Seider: This has the potential to be a big, abrasive, hard-to-play against top pairing.
Seider did it all as a rookie on his way to becoming the Red Wings’ first Calder Trophy winner since 1965. He was strong defensively, provided offense (seven goals, team-leading 43 assists), played the point on the top power-play unit and killed penalties. He averaged a team-high 23:02. Expect more of the same from the 21-year-old.
The Red Wings might have overpaid for Chiarot (four years at an average annual value of $4.75 million), but the free-agent market for defensemen was thin and he checks several boxes (big, physical, experienced, left-shooting). He scored nine goals (along with a career-high 26 points) last season between Montreal and Florida and in 2019-20 with the Canadiens, but he was brought in to defend and move the puck out of the zone, so the Red Wings don’t spend as much time in their own end.
