Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff adds interesting quotes from Moritz Seider to the mix this morning, as made by the Red Wings defenseman during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour, per Eishockeynews.de’s Michael Bauer:
As to the departure of GM Steve Yzerman and the ongoing search for his successor as training camp nears, Seider figures that element is out of his control.
“I’m stumped on that one,” Seider said. “I’m glad our owner (Chris Ilitch) can handle that.”
He readily admits to being completely caught off guard by Larkin’s early summer request for a trade.
“That wasn’t exactly something you saw coming,” Seider said. He may be in the minority, but Seider won’t criticize Larkin’s choice to leave. “Everyone certainly has their reasons for making certain decisions. Whether I or we approve of it is not for us to answer. But it’s clear that we’re a better team when Dylan Larkin is on the roster and playing than when he isn’t.”
Unable to solve either crisis, Seider instead focuses on what’s within his control.
“My summer training, my diet, my sleep, and how I prepare for the season,” Seider set as his offseason focus.
Seider readily admits to Bauer that the Red Wings’ annual March slide has doomed their playoff chances over the last couple of seasons, but #53 also suggests that the Wings must come out strong in order to battle against a difficult second-half-of-the-season performance:
“This season, it’s more important that we can block out the surrounding noise,” Seider said. “Therefore, the start of the season is much more important than in March or around the trade deadline.”
