It isn’t hyperbolic to state that Moritz Seider is the most important member of the Detroit Red Wings as they enter the next stage of their rebuild. One could argue that Dylan Larkin is a bigger key to success, but he’d be a No. 2 center on most Stanley Cup contenders—implying that if the Red Wings ever turn the corner and become that again, he’ll have been supplanted by a new top-line pivot.
The same can’t be said for Seider, who almost immediately became Detroit’s best defenseman as soon as he pulled the red-and-white Winged Wheeled sweater over his head the first time.