So Moritz Seider spoke with the media today during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media tour, as noted by the Hockey News’s Erik Cruikshank (via David Alter) and NHL.com’s Shawn P. Roarke.
Seider also spoke with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston about Steve Yzerman’s departure from the GM’s chair, in his own way…
“I can only say how thankful I am for his opportunity back in ’19, where he saw something in me a lot of people didn’t see at the time,” Seider said of Yzerman. “He took a big risk putting my name on this board that early, and I think that’s something that obviously makes my connection a little bit more special with him, and that’s something I’ll always really be thankful for.”
Seider deked around the Dylan Larkin situation, too, deferring to management…
“Those are definitely things no player should be asked or should talk about,” he said. “I’m very good in the background. I do my job, I’m very excited about next year and wearing the winged wheel again, but those are things for our owner. I think he probably has a plan in place, and I’ll be very pleased to meet the new leader of our franchise once he is selected. He will obviously have a lot of work to do. We’re still looking to fix some things.”
And instead, Seider tried to emphasize that he’s focused on becoming an even better player and defenseman…
“You should always aim for the stars,” he said. “If you don’t want to play with the best, you’re never going to get there, and if you’re satisfied with the season you had, well, good luck. Then it’s going to be a long way. You always should look ahead and see what’s next.
“I feel like there’s more in the tank, there’s more to achieve. Yes, it was cool to have the first taste of being thrown in the conversations with the best defensemen, but you want to be there every single year. You want to have your name compared with the best of the best, and I’m very far away from that. I think next year will be a great step to get one step closer to being in that conversation.”
And Johnston’s first quote from Seider is in fact a good way to wrap this up:
“It’s hard, obviously,” defenseman Moritz Seider told The Athletic at the NHL’s European Player Media Tour on Friday in Munich. “You always have big expectations going into a fresh year, and there are a lot of question marks. The great thing about that is you can only control yourself. That’s where I see my biggest challenge. I’ve been working out like crazy, I do my job, and I’ll be very excited to get on the plane to Detroit and see all of the boys.”
Continued (paywall); the Red Wings also posted this from Seider:
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 21, 2026
