{"id":560850,"date":"2026-04-27T13:21:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/560850\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:21:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:21:14","slug":"red-wings-seider-deserving-of-norris-trophy-votes-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/560850\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings’ Seider Deserving of Norris Trophy Votes – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t too long ago when the Norris Trophy was synonymous with the Detroit Red Wings \u2013 and, more specifically, with Nicklas Lidstrom<\/a>. From 1998 to 2012, Lidstrom was nominated for the award 12 times and won on seven of those occasions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Starting this year, we could see Moritz Seider<\/a>\u2018s name among the Norris Trophy vote-getters for the next decade \u2013 a perennial candidate\u2014like Lidstrom\u2014after elevating his game and becoming one of the better defensemen in the NHL.<\/p>\n

Seider\u2019s Norris Trophy Candidacy<\/p>\n

Before diving into Seider\u2019s case, it\u2019s worth sharing the Norris Trophy definition to have the appropriate context. According to the official NHL website for the award<\/a>, it is presented \u201cto the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position\u201d as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.<\/p>\n

That is the criteria \u2013 not most points among blueliners. \u201cThe greatest all-around ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that is the focus\u2014which it should be\u2014then Seider should be a leading candidate. He has been the best two-way defenseman in the NHL this year.<\/p>\n

\"MoritzMoritz Seider was Detroit\u2019s MVP in 2025-26. (Jess Starr<\/a>\/The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

Offensively, Seider\u2019s 60 points ranked 11th among NHL blueliners and was a career high. He was consistent all year in this regard \u2013 driving offense for the Red Wings from the back-end. Seider also saw his power play production tick up and ended the season with 25 power play assists (tied with Cale Makar) and 28 power play points, which was fourth-best among defensemen.<\/p>\n

He was also tasked with playing a shutdown role, playing upwards of 25 minutes a night and defending against the league\u2019s best forwards \u2013 where he thrived. Overall, he played the 15th-most minutes against elite competition among NHL blueliners and ended the year with the ninth-best Defensive Rating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Offense and defense \u2013 Seider was excellent at both ends of the ice<\/a>. Analytics and the eye test agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in my top five even though he didn\u2019t make the playoffs,\u201d noted NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman<\/a> on a recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. \u201cHe\u2019s not going to be at the top, but when you watched him throughout the year, he\u2019s a really good player. He eats a ton of minutes, right-shot and he\u2019s everything that would excite you as a Red Wings fan or as a hockey fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

One factor that could work against Seider in voting\u2014as Friedman alluded to above\u2014is team success. Historically, Norris Trophy voters tend to favor players on playoff teams, often using team performance as a proxy for impact. Detroit falling short of the postseason will likely suppress his placement on ballots, regardless of individual merit. But that raises an important question: should a defenseman be penalized for factors outside his control?<\/p>\n

In Seider\u2019s case, the answer should be no. In fact, his value may be even more evident because of Detroit\u2019s shortcomings. He was leaned on heavily in all situations\u2014often tasked with masking team-wide defensive inconsistencies while still driving offense. Few defensemen were asked to do more, and even fewer executed it as effectively.<\/p>\n

Final Word<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Norris Trophy race will be an intriguing one<\/a>. Cale Makar, Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin, Evan Bouchard, Miro Heiskanen, Matthew Schaefer, Jake Sanderson, and Lane Hutson all put together impressive seasons in one way or another.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re following the letter of the law and judging the candidates based on the trophy\u2019s true definition, then Seider should be the pick. No one else topped Detroit\u2019s defenseman if you\u2019re looking at play at both ends of the ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Simply put, Moritz Seider was the NHL\u2019s best all-around defenseman this season.<\/p>\n

Data courtesy of All Three Zones<\/a>, HockeyStatCards<\/a>, NHL.com<\/a>, Natural Stat Trick<\/a>, and PuckIQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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