The NHL playing season for Mo Seider and the Red Wings has been over for more than a month now, though the league itself is only just beginning the start of its wind down. Despite the best statistical seasons of his young career so far and being widely recognized as one of the best defensive players in the league, the end to Seider's season in Detroit is doubtlessly disappointing for a variety of reasons.
This week has seen the beginning of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as the release of several of the award winners from the past season, with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski winning the Norris Trophy for the first time in his career. Seider had five first place votes by writers and finished fifth in the Norris Trophy race voting this year behind Werenski, Cale Makar, Rasmus Dahlin, and Evan Bouchard respectively.
Werenski is the first Bluejacket to win the award after a season with 81 points in 75 games, and had finished as runner-up last year to Makar. The Norris has long been a debated award for fans and media alike, as the trophy ostensibly goes to the best defenseman in the league. However, many argue that more often than not the award instead goes to the defenseman with the best offensive capabilities in the season, with the weight of whether or not the team makes the playoffs sometimes held against them.
For the Red Wings part, Seider chipped in 60 points across 82 games this year, with 10 goals and 50 assists to reach new personal highs in both categories and beat out his rookie point totals when he won the Calder Trophy as the league's best newcomer. Seider also averaged over 25 minutes a night manning Detroit's top pair this year, playing against the league's toughest matchups night in and night out.
All of the other top five Norris Memorial candidates aside from Werenski and Seider found action in the postseason this year.