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The 2019 draft has yielded two players under contract already. Albert Johansson will play overseas again this year, but Moritz Seider is getting a shot at the “Bigs”. Click the link to that article, and you’ll see that Seider already has 49 AHL games under his belt, and then made waves in the SHL last season. It’s hard to believe how quickly the defenseman has made his mark.
I’d written early in the year about Petruzzelli turning down his ELC. He officially left the Wing’s organization and is playing one more collegiate year after working out with Boston. Is was disappointing at the time, as KP was the strongest goaltender in the system. Yzerman made quick work in bringing two more into the fold. Sebastian Cossa (already signed his ELC) was drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. But, before that, Alex Nedeljkovic was brought into the organization after a (very lopsided) trade with Carolina.
While Petruzzelli has had a good showing collegiately, Nedeljkovic played a good season in the NHL. 23 starts, going 15-5-0-3 with 1.9 GAA, .932 SV% and three shutouts. All of a sudden, we have a very exciting prospect in the pipeline and a very exciting rookie on the ice.
And so, here is the question. Which rookie do you think will get the highest “nod” as a potential rookie of the year? Both Seider and Nedeljkovic qualify as rookies, and could be on the Calder radar. (I still think Raymond will be in Grand Rapids, but if he grabs a spot throw his name in the mix as well).
My initial reaction is to focus on Nedeljkovic. He’s already had NHL experience in a tough division (including playoff experience). The one caveat is that Carolina’s defense last year was far superior to what Detroit is icing. It may go without saying the the newly acquired goalie is going to see more high danger opportunities. That brings me to Seider.
Even at 18, Moritz had a strong presence on the ice. He seems hungry, anxious to keep getting better. His skating and reach are impressive, and his frame belies how powerful this young defenseman is. But, as always, the jump from any league to the NHL is impossible to fathom, let alone describe accurately. If the entire league is open, Seider will be on the ice against McDavid at some point. The human highlight reel often makes defensemen look bad, 2 at a time. We’ll be seeing Tampa Bay and Toronto as well. The top 2/3s of the league are going to present a big challenge to the entire team, let alone a first year NHL defenseman.
Still, I think Seider is as good a young talent as we’ve had in some time. Hronek made a jump out of his own draft class, and those two together are going to be a boon to the right side for years to come.
So, where do you fall? The goalie or the defenseman? Who, by the end of the season, would you put in stronger contention for a Calder? Let me know.
Check out some of my previous posts:
Adam Erne’s new deal.
Take a look at part 2 of my series on Detroit’s drafts 2013-2018
I examined Detroit’s past drafts, from 2002 - 2012.
Svechnikov has been linked to the jets,
Carter Mazur’s “Coffee with Carley”
Vrana’s press conference
Vrana has a new three year deal with Detroit
Yesterday, I wrote about the gap between Detroit and Vrana.
Detroit still doesn’t have a top 6 right shot forward.
The second line continues to inch toward improving.
I have high (possibly too high) hopes for the top line this year.
The Griffins are worth the drive, at least I think so.
My third “looking forward” looked at Pius Suter.
My second “looking forward” focused on Alex Nedeljkovic.
My first “looking forward” talked about Moritz Seider.
Jakub Vrana and Adam Erne have filed for arbitration.
I posted “The Winged Wheel season 3, ep 1”
I posted Yzerman’s Zoom call
I posted Pius Suter’s Zoom call
I did a wrap up of the “Frenzy”.
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