Moritz Seider isn’t pretending the Detroit Red Wings are in a normal place right now.
With training camp still three weeks out, the defenseman stepped in front of The Hockey News and addressed the team’s unsettled moment, including Steve Yzerman stepping down. Seider kept his message steady: he’s ready to get back to work, but the bigger organizational decisions are out of his hands.
“Obviously everyone knows what’s going on with our team,” said Seider. “But I’m just excited to jump on the plane and represent this organization, see my teammates, see all our staff, all the people in the front office. It’s just up to management,”
“I’m a player and don’t have to decide all those things. I think there’s a big list of things that need to be addressed, and whoever’s going to be the new person I think will guide us in the right direction.”
That calm tone matches the kind of season Seider just put together. He turned in the best campaign of his career, finishing with 10 goals and 60 points while logging the third highest average time per game among all skaters in 2025-26. He also finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting and faced the highest quality of competition in the NHL during that span.
Yzerman’s departure was the obvious topic, and Seider didn’t duck it. He acknowledged the disappointment while also putting some responsibility back on the roster.
“Obviously you never want anything like that to happen, but then you also start questioning yourself,” Seider mentioned. “ ‘Did the team do enough to make us a proud franchise?’ I think that’s where we can take a little bit of blame.”
There’s something striking about that answer, especially in an offseason where frustration has been easy to find. Seider didn’t go looking for excuses or aim his comments at the front office alone. He owned a piece of it.
What came through just as clearly was how much he still loves being part of the Red Wings and the city around them. Seider lit up when talking about Detroit, and his enthusiasm cut through the gloom surrounding the organization.
“There’s so much about this club that makes it so special,” Seider said. “You get reminded every time you walk into that precious building playing in front of great fans that are dying for that sport.
I think that’s what I’m most excited about coming back, is playing in front of the fans. They’ve been with us from good and bad, and hopefully we can continue to do some good.”
That kind of pride matters. It’s the sort of thing fans notice, especially now, and it’s part of why Seider feels like a player who could be at the center of whatever comes next in Detroit.
He finished by sounding confident about where the Red Wings stand, even with all the uncertainty around them.
“I don’t think we’re far off,” Seider said. "We can beat any team in the league, but we’ve got to do it over an 84-game schedule now, so there’s plenty of opportunity to hopefully be in a great position right from up front, but then just gain that momentum all the way to the end and hopefully be in a good position.”
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