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Red Wings Seider, Germany Left Out in Cold

Canada, Sweden, Finland and USA to meet in 2025

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3 months ago

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Moritz Seider
Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider and Germany won't be part of a 2025 four nations tourney featuring NHL players.

You can debate whether Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider is having a good season, which is the popular trend in hockey analytics circles of late.

What isn’t up for debate is whether Seider is a recognized star in the NHL. Yet his is one of many whose star won’t be given the opportunity to shine during the Four Nations Faceoff being put on by the NHL and NHLPA. This tourney will take place in February of 2025. It’s a launching point paving the way toward returning NHL players to the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympic Games.

The best players from Canada, the USA, Sweden and Finland will contest this event. It will be held at sites in Canada and the USA. Expectations are that Boston and Montreal will be the host cities for the tournament.

Seider’s Germany, the reigning IIHF World Championship silver medalists, aren’t getting an invitation to the dance. Neither is the Czech Republic and David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins. Russia is also excluded due to the country’s ban by the IIHF due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“There are other players not sitting on this stage right now that are a little upset,” NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh pointed out during the announcement of the four nations event at the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto.

Seider Part of German Resurgence

Led by their big three of Seider, Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators, Germany can be classified as an emerging hockey power. The Germans lost to Canada in last spring’s world tourney gold-medal game. In 2018, German was beaten by Russian in the gold-medal match at the Winter Olympics.

When available, Seider has never turned down the chance to represent his country on the international stage.

“It’s a great honor,” Seider has said in the past. “Always nice to put the jersey over your shoulder pads and sing the national anthem after you win.

“It’s always a big honor and we’ve taken very big strides in the last couple of years. It’s definitely promising progress for us.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman claimed that logistics of trying to assemble a larger tournament is such a short time simply wasn’t feasible. While it’s east to make the league the villain here, the NHLPA could have equally stood up for all of their players and fought for a true World Cup. As it is, World Cups are set to be held in 2028 and 2032.

On the surface, the four nations event feels like nothing more than a cash grab. Certainly, sending four of the hockey world’s establishment out to play against each other is unlikely to do much to grow the game.

Is a half-baked tournament better than none at all? Ultimately, that’s what’s to be debated here.

Which Red Wings Will Play?

The fact of the matter is that they are playing, and while Seider won’t be, several other Red Wings figure to be involved.

Lucas Raymond will be in Sweden’s lineup. Ville Husso and Olli Maatta will have a chance to make Finland’s roster. Captain Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane should all be in the reckoning for the Team USA squad.

Kane might be someone for whom this event could serve as a final hurrah in international hockey. He’ll be 37 by the time the next Olympics come around.

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