Seider focused on his game with uncertainty surrounding Red Wings

BERLIN -- Much is different for the Detroit Red Wings since the end of the 2025-26 regular season. Yet, Moritz Seider says things remain the same for him.

The 25-year-old defenseman knows the winds of change are swirling around the Red Wings, mainly with the departure of Steve Yzerman from his position as the general manager and the loss of veteran forward Patrick Kane in free agency. Plus, captain Dylan Larkin remains in limbo after he requested a trade in June when the Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th straight season.

"Sometimes it's good to just be at home," the Zell, Germany, native said Friday during the European Player Media Tour. "Get away from everything a little bit, focusing on your stuff, focusing on what you can control."

There is no getting away from the growing pressure in Hockeytown after the Red Wings swooned late in the season and missed the playoffs by seven points. Detroit (41-31-10) went 3-8-2 in its final 13 games and was outscored 54-38.

Don't read the above statement as an attempt by Seider to distance himself from the pressure. He embraces it.

Seider says he is ready to take another step in his on-ice progression toward being among the game's best defensemen.

To him, that is the best way to help.

"I mean, you should always treat it like the sky is the limit; if you don't aim for the stars, it's tough to reach them," he said. "If you don't want to compare yourself to the best, you're probably never going to be in a conversation with them. 

"It's been really good what I achieved so far, but there's plenty of room to work on. There's plenty of opportunity to get better, and that's something I have to shift my focus to because you want to get better, you want to be in conversation with the best defensemen in the League. I'm not there yet, but obviously that's where I see my opportunity to shine is to just get better and better every single year."

Last season was his best since he joined the Red Wings for the start of the 2021-22 season. Seider had a career-high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) and led his team with a plus-15 rating. It was the first time in his five seasons that he has been a plus player for a season.

Seider also ranked third in the NHL in ice time per game at 25:40.

"I want to establish myself as a guy that people are not happy to see on the ice," he said. "I think that's the one of the biggest compliments you could get is that people are not happy to see you -- in a good way.

"I think that's where I see my challenges to do everything I can to shut the best forwards down in every single game. And I think if I can approach that, I give our team a good chance to win. I think you can win a game 1-0 and if you do that, you get two points and that's a very simple message."

Seider has been an integral part of the Red Wings plan since he arrived and he has delivered. He has yet to miss a game and has 240 points (39 goals, 201 assists) in 410 games. He played well in the 2026 Olympics for Germany, which finished sixth.

Sure, he would like to know if Larkin will be back to continue leading the team and feels badly about the departure of Yzerman, the man who drafted him and believed in him.

He will miss Kane, who signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 25, and wonders about what the roster will look like this season when the Red Wings try again to end their playoff drought. 

But none of that is in his direct control.

"All the other topics, they're meant to be decided by management and I'm a player and don't have to think about that too much," Seider said. "I can just come and do my job, and I will be excited for a new year, and until then, I think there are some questions that need to be answered, but they can't be answered by me."

Despite the lack of answers on many topics swirling around the Red Wings, Seider does know one thing as he prepares to head to Detroit for the start of the 2026-27 season.

"I think we're still very proud to play in front of our fans and make the organization proud," Seider said.