Moritz Seider, Todd McLellan Practice Media | Nov. 8, 2025

Moritz Seider, Todd McLellan Practice Media | Nov. 8, 2025

I mean, obviously, he’s uh he’s shown he has some some really good um touch with with young players. I think um I think Ray and I learned a lot um with him under him. Um we I think he was always honest, very direct. Um wasn’t afraid to be in a moment and demand that. And I think I really like that. Um, I think guys really appreciated him as a as a human and um, that’s something I really take away. Could always have a really honest conversation with him. He’s never a guy who was who was holding that uh, on top of your head or against you. And um, I think that described him really well. A really good communicator. You kind of alluded to it. Really good communicator and all. Yeah, I definitely agree on that. It’s just he made it very clear what he wants from you, um what he does not and um yeah, it worked out pretty well. How about them as a team? I mean, you got a lot of units right now. Yeah, I mean I think they’re rolling. I mean, they showed yesterday that they’re they’re good defensively. They have a lot of talent up front to score goals and we just got to match that. Um, just got to come out with a lot of intensity, authority, um, and just got to demand a puck on our on our stick rather than theirs. Um, and then just have a little bit of swagger and and fun, you know, it’s it’s a great matchup. We’re in great uniforms, so um nothing nothing to hide from. And now we just got to bounce back. Take away out of last night’s game. Um, very frustrating. Um obviously um can’t really fall apart like that uh within minutes. Um other than that I think we’ve done a lot of good things too. Uh it was just easy simple mistakes once again and we just got to stop that and I think if we do that we can be uh we can be a winning team. Ted described the power plays being a second. Uh what what are you seeing from that? there. Um, I think it just starts with our execution. I think if we get uh everyone on the same page, um, I think we’ll we’ll be really good. Um, I think we get looks, but sometimes we just force plays. We aren’t really clean or we can’t get in the zone and then it’s tough. You kind of waste seconds. Um, and then obviously you only have a minute left and then you try to hand it off to the other guys. So, um I think we take a lot of responsibility in that and we know we got to be better and and it starts with us and especially me. You guys have done a good job of responding after performances like that time and time again. What has kind of allowed that early in the season for you all? Um we just know it can happen over and over again. If you want to be in the race, you got to respond and you got to become a good team. And that’s that’s something we’re trying to establish and hopefully can take another step in the right direction tomorrow. Thank you. Has anybody gone to the uh hockey fest or whatever it’s called? How’s it going? Yeah. Lots of people turning out. Really? Do they let everybody in like by the hour or is it just come whenever you want? Whenever you want, can you stay as long as you want? That’s good. Have you met anybody? Have you seen anybody? What alumni have you seen that you haven’t seen in a while? Uh, Ericson, John, Big E, uh, Sammy. I saw Hank last year for a bit, but I haven’t seen Male Samuelson. Haven’t seen Homer yet. Apparently, he’s missing in action. Hopefully, he’s not in jail. Uh, who else have I, you know, a lot of the regular guys? Uh, Jimmy Baddard, uh, Smitty was around the locker room. I’m sure we’ll see more throughout the weekend, but kind of nice to see everyone. Uh Todd, uh moving uh Marco to a different line on the wing. Is that uh just trying to get him jump started offensively a little bit? Um just jump started period. Uh you know, his play uh hasn’t matched what we expected from him and probably from himself. I think he’d tell you that. He’s pretty honest individual. So, uh, we’ll put him back on the wing and let him, um, play there for a little bit and see how how that works. Um, you know, or in the middle. We’ll we’ll figure it all out, but we’ll mix things up as we go and try and get him back to where he needs to be. What what what are you seeing from his game? Uh, I mean, are there are there chances there or what what’s No. Um, I I think when we when we talk to a player and we use words, sometimes it it doesn’t register. just, you know, you got to be more competitive or you’re you’re losing these battles, you’re not at the battle or he has to see it. And when you show him, he’ll tell you, “Yeah, I got to be here. I got to do this. I got to do that.” So, to me, that tells u the coaching staff that he’s kind of skating around, thinking the game instead of reacting to it. If you remember last year when he was really playing well, he was he was taking people to the net. He was drawing penalties, drew more penalties than than most players on our team during down the stretch. um scored on rebounds, deflections, uh you know, shot it off the goalender and went and got it himself. I remember a twoon-one that he did that. We haven’t seen that that pop out of them. And inevitably, what ends up happening is that players begin to squeeze their analogy or um cliche squeeze their their stick a little bit more. uh they’re opening up the stat sheet and going I’m uh you know I’m letting the the team down cuz I’m not producing at the level I thought I would and it’s all in their heads and they start thinking their way around the rink and uh it happens to a lot of second third year players and Marco’s going through that right now. We’ve got to help them get out of it. And is Gibson starting tomorrow? Gibson’s going to start tomorrow. Yep. Well, that second season, I mean, do teams have a book on you then or oftenimes it seems like they do kind of that second season’s a little more difficult. Uh, it is. Um, but expectations go up, you know. I I don’t know how it was at training camp, not this year, but the year before. Like I’m not sure that Marco Casper’s number went in the two center hole, but when we were in the summer, we just put it there because that was expectations. So when you come in and you can play free and you catch the coach’s eye or the manager’s eye and all of a sudden you’re on the team, um you know, EMTT’s done it and Axe has done it and Brans has done it. Um when you come back next year, EMTT, it’s it’s a little tougher because we expect it immediately from you. Um, and quite frankly, you expect it from yourself, but uh, you know, the league doesn’t get easier over in the summer and, uh, if you don’t get off to a confident start, it can get away from you quick. If it’s the second or third season now, but when you look at Betard, what do you see there? And do you see him getting a little bit more comfortable in this league now? Oh, for sure. Um, you know, he’s what is he 20 now? like he’s still a young real young man and the amount of pressure that was put on that individual um you know those first few years it’s it’s hard for them to handle it but I see him now uh you know his skills are coming out he’s very confident playing a a you know two-way game I think Blash has done a really good job there with that team and with him in particular and when he uh exudes confidence everybody seems to pick up on it and and their teams played You talked yesterday about liking the Johansson Hamick pair. What have what specifically have you liked about how they’ve kind of approached it? Well, I just I I talked about liking our pairs overall and then, you know, I I couldn’t tell you who our best defenseman was last night. I have asked multiple people and no one really knows. So, that’s it’s odd that happens in a game. So, they all struggled a little bit last night, but that pair in particular have kept it real simple. They’ve kept the chances for the most part uh to a minimum. um they’re fairly good around the net, yet the the goal they gave up yesterday was was net play. So, um you know, my answer yesterday and my answer today gets all balanced out with with yesterday’s game. And then obviously you gave Albert a look on the power play. Is he someone who you feel like there’s kind of more offense to tap into? I we’ve thought that since we got here, like I think he’s got a tremendous shot. I think he he has ways of of um creating shooting alleys. he can move the puck around in short little spaces and release it and get it through. Um, you know, so he has some tools for that. Um, you know, will we will we continue with that? We’ll we’ll see. Can you just expand a little bit on some of the ways the Blackhawks are playing under Blash that stand out to you? Well, there overall um confidence level is is much higher because they’ve they’ve earned the right to be confident and I said it starts with Bard. Uh but they they have structure right now that um allows them to you know to predict where where things are going to go. Their goalenders have played uh quite well and giving them an opportunity. Special teams perform at a higher level than they have in the past. So I I think that just that whole coaching staff um has done a good job of molding that team uh quickly. Um they have some very very good young players. They’ve stockpiled them for a while and they’re starting to mature too. So, um, but all that’s done with Blash’s guidance. So, I think he’s done a real good job. Okay.

Moritz Seider and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s practice on Saturday November 8, 2025.