Seider welcomes challenge of facing Crosby, Penguins with Red Wings

Moritz Seider knows the excitement, and heartbreak, of being faced with the unenviable task of neutralizing Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby.

"It's crazy," the Detroit Red Wings defenseman told NHL.com last week. "You’ve always got to remind yourself that you actually have to play a game, because he's still the guy you think about when you look back on NHL hockey and the last decade."

To his credit, Seider, the Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year in 2021-22, has has held his own. In six games against the Penguins, Seider has three assists, 11 shots, 18 hits, 10 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating while averaging 23:38 in ice time.

Crosby, meanwhile, has 10 points (four goals, six assists) and 17 shots while averaging 19:30 of ice time in those six games against Seider, which the teams have split.

"It's just so much fun playing against him, and you want to be out there in important situations, you want to be out there when he's out there because you feel there's a dominance out there when he steps on the ice," Seider said. "The crowd can feel that too. I want to obviously be out there to try to shut him down as good as possible.

"It not always works out great, but we always try our best and it's fun playing against the best guys in the League."

Seider looks forward to his next challenge against Crosby when the Red Wings (2-1-0) host the Penguins (2-1-0) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, TVAS).

Seider has three points (one goal, two assists) in two games this season and 95 points (13 goals, 82 assists) in 167 NHL games. He is on pace to become the third-fastest active European defenseman to reach 100 points, behind John Klingberg of the Toronto Maple Leafs (145 games) and Erik Karlsson of the Penguins (168), and ahead of Rasmus Dahlinof the Buffalo Sabres (180).

Detroit coach Derek Lalonde doesn't hesitate to match his 22-year-old right-shot defenseman against many of the NHL's top offensive lines.

"His ability to take that next step in managing his game last year was big," Lalonde said. "It doesn't have to be with offense because offense comes naturally now. Even when I had him early last year, you can see him trying to force offense and that put him in some bad situations. Now he can go through a game and go without a point on offense but finish plus-2, play his 24 minutes and not have many chances again.

"I just think it's maturity in this game. He's in a really good spot for us and hopefully he just keeps naturally progressing."

Seider's game has evolved to the point where not only can he push the pace and transition the puck with authority, but he's learned to block shots and play the body with equal effectiveness.

Since entering the NHL, Seider ranks fourth among defensemen in blocked shots (361) and 16th in hits (363).

"In my first year, I was looking for the big hit a little more and got out of position, but I think my positioning is better, so I don't always have to hit," Seider said. "Sometimes you're more effective with your stick and you can play offense right away, and that's something I try to do because all the great defenseman out there, they don't need to be big hitters, but it's a really good asset to have in your toolbox to kind of get in their head and just be a bit [of a] dominant force out there on both sides of the ice.

"With blocking shots, it's just a willingness to go out there and actually eat one, and I like doing that. I think it's helped our penalty kill grow, and we definitely want to improve those numbers for sure."

In Seider's rookie season, Detroit was last among the 32 NHL teams on the penalty kill (73.8 percent). Last season, the Red Wings finished 18th (78.3 percent).

The biggest lesson Seider has learned in three NHL seasons is the benefit of rest.

"It's a long season, and I always want to be out there, want to practice, want to do the extra work, but sometimes you’ve got to settle down a little bit and just remember that rest is a weapon," he said. "You should use it wisely. Sometimes it's good to just do the 15 minutes extra and then go off the ice, relax, chill, and then you're ready to go because it's a long mental grind ... that's where I've grown the most."