Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider is ready to turn the page after a whirlwind summer that has left the franchise with a ton of uncertainties heading into the 2026-27 NHL season.
Growing the sport of hockey in Germany has become a priority for the NHL, and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider couldn’t be happier in that respect.
The league announced on Thursday that its annual Global Series will be heading to Cologne and Munich in 2027, in addition to the announcement of its multi-year partnership with iconic German soccer club FC Bayern Munich.
“I'm excited, I'm all for it. I'm a huge Bayern fan, first of all, so I was pretty pumped when I saw JJ (Peterka) and Leon (Draisaitl) there yesterday.” Seider told The Hockey News' David Alter during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour in Munich on Friday.
“Hopefully we can say one day that little kids started playing hockey because of us, and they saw us on TV, and they wanted to be like us. I think it's great that the NHL sees opportunity in our home country, so I'm all for it.”
Seider is one of seven German-born players that suited up for NHL games last season and has been on a steady rise as one of the league’s most dominant two-way defenders. He’s also been one of the most reliable players since he joined the Red Wings, not missing a single game in his five NHL seasons.
“I take a lot of pride in being available, I think that's one of the best trademarks you can present.” Seider said. “Just trying not only being available but also being in crucial situations and trying to be a game-changer.”
Seider credits his durability to the work he does in the summer with fellow countrymen and Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle. Both have spent the off-season training with Adler Mannheim, a team in Germany’s top professional league that they previously played with before entering the NHL.
While Seider and Stutzle have been bettering themselves throughout the summer, the Red Wings are trying to do the same.
The 2025-26 season was the 10th year in a row that the franchise has failed to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs, and in some ways, Seider finds it unexplainable.
“It's our common theme for the last past seasons,” Seider said. “We head into March in a really good position and we kind of just toss the season away. Don't really have an answer for it, to be honest. If we knew what to fix, we would have done it, more than once now.”
While the 25-year-old may not have all the answers for the Red Wings’ late-season collapses, he believes the group needs to find more consistency in order to get to the next level.
“I don't think we're far off,” Seider added. “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.”
Frustrations in Detroit have seemingly boiled over with captain Dylan Larkin requesting a trade earlier this summer and franchise icon Steve Yzerman stepping down as GM. While Seider may be just over 4,000 miles away from Motor City, even he can’t hide from the noise.
“Obviously everyone knows what's going on with our team,” Seider said. “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,” Seider added. “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 management group is going to look a little different when he heads back to Detroit. Yzerman spent seven years as GM, and Seider was his first ever selection at the draft when he joined the franchise in 2019.
“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.”
Despite all of the uncertainties around the Red Wings, Seider’s love for the team and the city hasn’t wavered.
“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.
“Obviously they've been with us from good and bad, and hopefully we can continue to do some good.”
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