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NHL Network Finally Has Reason to Like the Detroit Red Wings

The NHL Network eventually found some love for the Detroit Red Wings.

It’s all about Moritz Seider.

The network has been tough on the Red Wings lately. But the NHL Network placed second-year Moritz Seider as the 12th-best defenseman in the NHL. He’s just ahead of Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin and Toronto’s Morgan Rielly. Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars is just ahead of the NHL Rookie of the Year.

Seider is now tied for seventh with Miro Heiskanen and Quinn Hughes in the BetMGM Norris Trophy odds. They are at +2000. He has better odds than Kris Letang, Morgan Rielly and John Carlson.

The network didn’t rank Dylan Larkin among the NHL’s top 25 centers. It also didn’t have any love for Tyler Bertuzzi in the wing rankings. Then NHL Network analysts Michael Rupp’s and Mike Johnson’s power rankings projected Detroit will finish lower in the Atlantic Division than last season.

Rupp ranked the team sixth in the standings, just ahead of Buffalo and Montreal. Johnson’s ranking was more harsh: he said the Red Wings are the seventh best team in the division. The former NHL forward only has Montreal below Detroit.

This comes after general manager Steve Yzerman signed two players who will move into the team’s top six forwards (Andrew Copp and David Perron), plus another potential 30-goal scorer Dominik Kubalik, a shutdown defenseman Ben Chiarot and another top four defenseman (Olli Maatta ), plus depth defensemen Mark Pysyk and Robert Hagg. The Red Wings also added goalie Ville Husso who played impressively last season. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson will also be given a long look to make the Red Wings. He was the 2021 first-round pick.

BetMGM has the Red Wings +2800 to win the Atlantic Division. That places Detroit sixth in the division, behind Buffalo and Montreal. The Habs are at +10,000.

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