Moritz Seider does not want another Red Wings season defined by what the organization is still trying to figure out.
With Detroit changing its hockey leadership, the defenseman is focusing on what players can change themselves: how they handle pressure, support teammates and speak up inside the locker room.
“I feel like we just can’t waste this year,” Seider told Max Bultman of The Athletic.
The urgency matters. So does the responsibility attached to it.
Seider acknowledged that Detroit tightened up when games became more consequential. He also volunteered that he could do more to help teammates feel comfortable in those moments.
That gives his message substance beyond preseason optimism. While the organization determines who will lead its hockey operations, Seider sees work the locker room can begin immediately.
Moritz Seider Wants Detroit to Respond Differently Under Pressure
Seider’s assessment of Detroit’s late-season struggles was direct.
“We really got stiff when it came down to crunch time, and maybe I have to take more responsibility in that — of making sure that the boys are loose, make sure they’re comfortable.”
He is identifying an area where his influence can extend beyond his own shifts.
A team fighting for position needs urgency, but it also needs players comfortable enough to make decisions without treating every mistake as a crisis. Seider’s comments suggest he recognizes a role for himself in maintaining that balance.
That responsibility remains relevant through the front-office transition that put Shawn Horcoff in the interim GM role.
A personnel decision can change who occupies an office. Developing a steadier response to pressure requires work from the players who share the bench every night.
Seider Wants More Voices in the Conversation
His approach also calls for leadership throughout the lineup.
“I feel like sometimes the most vocal guys are the guys who aren’t, like, in the first two lines,” he said. “And that’s even good. If you do your work over and over again, I feel like you earn the right to say something, and it doesn’t matter to who it is.”
Seider then identified something Detroit could emphasize more.
“Everybody needs to be in this conversation. … I think if we do that, we’ll kind of already (have taken) a step before the season (has) even started.”
The standard he describes is earned through consistent work. Players in smaller roles can contribute to the team’s expectations and hold others accountable, too.
That broadens the responsibility for keeping Detroit composed. Seider is proposing a room where more teammates participate in addressing problems, rather than leaving every difficult conversation to a small group.
The Red Wings Have a Season to Play
As Reuters reported, Detroit’s search for a permanent hockey operations leader continues with Horcoff among the candidates. Chris Ilitch has also left open a hiring timeline that could extend beyond the season.
Seider’s expectations for the players are more immediate.
“That’s been my theme for my whole career,” Seider said. “I mean, I’ve been a bit of a surprise for a lot of people. So, that was the perfect challenge for me to kind of have them second-guessing about (me), and I feel like we could write our own story this year. … If we can come together as a team and really emphasize that togetherness, I think there will be a lot of possibilities for success in this locker room. I feel like we just can’t waste this year.”
His proposed starting point is specific: more shared responsibility, more voices and a better response when pressure builds.
Those changes do not require Detroit to finish its executive search. They require the players already in the room to follow through.
