Updated at 3:15 PM: The recently re-signed Moritz Seider made his post-contract-signing debut at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center today, and he spoke with the media after practicing with the Wings for the first time this season.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James kicked off the coverage of Seider’s comments:
“It was weird seeing the guys up there [in Traverse City], but overall I’m really excited and ready to get going,” Seider said Tuesday after practice at Little Caesars Arena. “It’s a different situation than the last couple years, but overall I’m just happy right now. It’s in the past and now we can be excited for preseason and then get going into the regular season.”
Seider, 23, returned to the Wings a rich man, having signed a seven-year, $59.85 million deal Sept. 19, the opening day of camp.
Seider described the experience as, “New. Interesting. Those are two words. It’s a really cool situation to be in, having a long-term contract. I think that I’m really proud of that organization, that I can do it with them. I’m really happy that we’re done and being back with the boys, there was a lot of smiling today.”
Seider was in his native Germany when the contract was signed, and managed to sneak in a celebration before departing Sept. 21 for Detroit.
“We had a nice little dinner with my parents, my agent and his family,” he said.
He called picking up the check, “the easiest thing to do.”
The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a notebook article about Seider as well…
With the big contract comes increased expectations from the Wings, analysts and fans. But Seider is ready for the scrutiny.
“A lot of expectations change (and) I want to get better every year,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot more (expectations) and hopefully I can show (it) in the future. For a lot of other people, the expectations are different. I don’t think I feel more pressure. I want to be good every single night and that shouldn’t be a matter of how much you’re making.
“There are a lot of people who thought I was a reach at the time (of the NHL Entry Draft) and I had a chance to prove them wrong. There are other guys who think this contract is not right, so I’m ready to prove them wrong again. That’s the kind of motivation behind everything. I want to be proud of myself and I definitely am right now.”
Seider wants to become more consistent as the years progress.
“(It’s a matter of) maturing now,” he said. “About the next step and being more consistent and try to eliminate the off nights as much as possible and try to contribute at both ends (of the ice) even more.”
Seider found it fitting that he and Raymond, who have traveled the same paths during their pro careers, were on identical journeys this summer as RFAs.
“We’ve kind of shared the same path ever since we got into the league,” Seider said. “He’s a real good friend and I’m really happy for him (for Raymond’s new contract). To go through the same pattern as him helped a lot because we wanted to be here and that wish came through. Now we’re here and setting ourselves up for a very happy career in Detroit.”
I’ll update this post as more articles are published…
And, if you missed Seider’s 13-minute presser:
Update: Here’s more from MLive’s Ansar Khan:
[Coach Derek] Lalonde is looking for internal development from Seider.
“His defensive game can continue to grow,” Lalonde said. “Even with him he’s had some lapses in some of his play. I think he can improve his skating, which is very exciting. I think he’s still very raw. I think there’s a lot of room for growth in him.”
Lalonde is not planning to scale back Seider’s minutes against the opposition’s best.
“I don’t foresee that changing with where we are as a team, how valuable he is, how he can handle top lines,” Lalonde said. “Part of our continued growth with points and wins in the last two years, why it’s headed in the right direction, is because of that part of the game and being able to handle matchups.”
Seider’s first contract after his entry-level deal makes him the team’s second-highest player, slightly below Dylan Larkin’s $8.7 million AAV. But it won’t add any more pressure on him.
“I want to be good every single night,” Seider said. “That shouldn’t be a matter of how much you make.” He added, “I think there are a lot of people who thought I was a reach (when drafted sixth overall in 2019), and I had a chance proving them wrong, and there are other guys thinking this contract is not right, so I’m ready to prove them wrong again.”
