Detroit Red Wings: Moritz Seider A Good Pick, Not At Sixth Overall

The Detroit Red Wings adding Moritz Seider to the organization is not a bad thing, but selecting him at sixth overall was not ideal whatsoever. General Manager Steve Yzerman had better options available at sixth overall, but fans… we must settle for Seider.

After the Detroit Red Wings shocked the fan base by selecting Moritz Seider at sixth overall, Site Expert Bob Heyrman wrote the initial reactions and profile about the newest Red Wings defenseman. I’m here to recap this pick, let it marinate a little, let it sink in, and then look at it from the bright side.

Taking a defenseman who was not ranked in the top two defensemen was already risky enough, the draft is forward heavy at the top of the draft class, and Seider was not even likely to come off the board until mid-to-late first round. Everyone knew Byram was going top five, though Red Wings fans hoped he fell to six, Philip Broberg who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers (former GM Ken Holland) eighth overall was the number two ranked defenseman in the draft.

Enough whining about the draft, it was a bad pick, taking this guy at sixth overall when the Red Wings should have taken better talent was not smart. It’s over, he’s picked, he’s a Detroit Red Wings defenseman now, but take a look at the bright side of this kid.

More from Detroit Jock City

Seider is an eighteen-year-old, right-handed shooting defenseman from Germany. He is a big boy, standing six-foot-four, 207-pounds and that is something that proves beneficial when looking at his player archetype. Think of Seider as a big stay-at-home defenseman, someone who is going to guard the front of the net and down deep in the defensive zone.

Continuing, Seider’s stronghold of his game is his ability to shut things down in the defensive zone; he is raved about on scouting reports when it comes to his defense. A good NHL-caliber comparison with his defense would be someone like Alex Pietrangelo with far less offense.

Do not mistake this, Seider is no Norris candidate immediately as Byram has been raved about as if he could be. Development is needed in this case; his offense lacks, he is not a true offensive threat in a sense that he is feared from the blue line as someone like Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, or Erik Karlsson is.

If all goes well, the offense develops, and he continues to use his body to excel defensively, he could truly become a top-four defenseman. Seider will not be a top two defenseman; the offense just is not going to reach that point for him to be a staple on the top pairing.

A good NHL comparison forecasting what Seider’s best case scenario could be is, Victor Hedman. If the Detroit Red Wings can put this kid through development to the point where offense becomes a tool, he could easily be a Victor Hedman type of player, but the odds point towards more of a strong, big-bodied defenseman like Alex Pietrangelo.

To recap, since I made a lot of comparisons to try to paint a picture based on the information available and an eye test from watching some film, he’s going to develop which will be good. The best way to think about Seider is this, best case scenario he becomes a Victor Hedman mold for Steve Yzerman, more likely case scenario he becomes a less offensive Alex Pietrangelo mold, and worst case scenario the Red Wings have Jonathan Ericsson 2.0 heading to the franchise prospect list.

Next. Wings shockingly pick Moritz Seider Sixth Overall. dark

Sixth overall was far too much to call it a stretch, it wasn’t the time to take Seider, but the guy is someone who offers positives than negatives. The Red Wings aren’t wrong for adding him to a back-end that is young and developing with Filip Hronek, Dennis Cholowski, Jared McIsaac, and Oliwer Kaski but sixth was just way too early for him.

Home/Detroit Red Wings