Detroit Red Wings defenceman Moritz Seider has been lights-out all year. He has truly become one of the game’s more complete players. Unlike many elite players at his position, he’s more than just a reliable point-producer. Seider might rank 15th among defencemen in points, but it’s hard to find a more complete and durable player at the position. Let’s discuss why we think he is a Norris Trophy-calibre defenceman in 2025-26.

Credit Image: © Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire

Detroit Red Wings Defenceman Has Been Lights-Out All Season

With 53 points, nine goals, and 44 assists, Moritz Seider has set a new career high and is showing no signs of stopping. Across an 82-game pace, he could end the year with between 59 and 60 points, but Seider’s defensive capabilities is what sets him apart from most elite NHL blueliners.

Too often, we see the Norris Trophy go to the game’s most productive defenceman, or among the most productive. So much so that one can argue the trophy might as well just go to the blueliner with the highest number of points and be done with it.

Until that time comes, and let’s hope it never does, complete players like Seider should warrant strong consideration. Seider has been in the league for five seasons now, and he has yet to miss a game. For a player with his bruising and defence-first playing style, that’s tough to come by.

Moritz Seider’s Durability Shows Up in Many Ways

Through 73 games, Seider’s fourth among blueliners in average time on ice, clocking in at 25:43. He’s second-overall in time on ice, with 1,876:56 minutes played, trailing only Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild.

He’s also sixth in the league in blocked shots with 160, and is 29th among blueliners in hits with 110. His endurance has reached legendary status, despite playing in just his age-24 season. Should he keep playing at such a high-octane pace in all three zones and warding off injury, Seider will go down as one of the game’s most durable players in Red Wings history.

Further, he’s reliable in any situation. When the Red Wings need him at 5-on-5, he’s ready to go. When they need him on the man advantage or penalty kill, he’s also ready to make an impact. Through 73 games, Seider already has been on the ice for 37 power-play goals on a Red Wings team that has struggled on the man advantage all season.

Moritz Seider Has Made His Case as One of the NHL’s Best Defencemen

Seider has a career-high 53.6 Corsi For Percentage at even strength, and if it holds, it’s the first time he will cross the 50-percent threshold. What’s even more impressive is that Seider’s career-highs don’t just stop with Corsi For, as his on-ice minutes will eclipse 2,000 for the second year in a row should he appear in all 82 games for the fifth-straight season.

Chances are, he won’t just cross 2,000 minutes, but smash through his record of 2,055:55 given his average time on ice of 25:41, which is also the highest in his career. He’s the type of defenceman the NHL’s other 31 teams crave, because there isn’t a single facet of the game he struggles in.

Sure, players like Quinn Hughes are always in the running for the Norris Trophy, but Hughes’ defensive play lacks the same complete outlook that Seider’s brings. So, if the Norris is truly for the best overall defenceman, and not just defensemen who can score almost at will, Seider should be a top-five contender.

With the season now in its final phase, Seider still has time to make his case and force the voters to give him the same kind of respect they give players like Hughes. And he’s been more than making his case with at least point and a solid impact in each of his last three contests.

Main Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images