Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider spoke with NHL.com/de’s Oliver Jensen recently, addressing the Red Wings’ attempts to become a tougher, sharper team, Dylan Larkin’s trade request, and his status as a “veteran” over the course of a medium-sized interview:
Seider on Detroit: “Something special can happen here”
The German defenseman talks about Dylan Larkin’s trade request and about the goal of making the playoffs
The Detroit Red Wings look back on an eventful summer. The franchise has a new interim general manager in Shawn Horcoff, and and there was the trade request from Dylan Larkin. But now the preseason has begun, so their focus should be back on hockey.
“I think Todd McLellan put it just right. At the start of training camp, he said we just have to win every single day. That’s how we approach the situation,” said Moritz Seider. “Both yesterday and today, there was a lot of pace, a good physical intensity and a certain urgency early on. These are the very things he mentioned.”
The situation around Larkin, who participates in the preseason despite his request, assesses Seider calmly: “I believe that of course that everyone is happy that he is here. There is not much more to say about it. He is still under contract and is here in training camp. That’s a good sign for me. Everything else isn’t up to me and is not up for discussion. I just see it as an opportunity to be a better hockey team with him.”
Coach McLellan already made it clear that the team should be more difficult to play against. A physically tougher game is supposed to be a key to success. The preseason is shorter this time with just four preseason games. Therefore, it is already in the preseason to get to the point neatly. “Physical hardness is a very broad term. You can talk about many different forms of hardness,” explains Seider.
“For me, it starts with being ready and mentally well-prepared. This, too, is a form of hardness. I think we’re doing a very good job in this right now. I don’t feel like we’re running much harder skates or playing more physically than we have been in previous years. But everyone is full of the concept, and we really want to start the season well.”
Seider, at the age of 25, is still a relatively young player, but he’s still one of the top performers [on his team] and he grows into a leadership role. “I don’t know if you ever really feel like a veteran,” Seider said. “I hope that we make everyone feel that they have the right to express their opinions. We need each individual, and we need to tackle this together. If someone recognizes something that has escaped the other person, they should be able to address it. We are trying to convey this message in the locker room.”
The Red Wings’ great hope is to finally qualify for the playoffs again. Seider is confident. “Something special can happen here, we are growing closer together,” he believes. “We’ve added new players who know how to win playoff games. Hopefully they can give us some of their maturity and experience.”
