The Damon Severson contract is official. His tenure with the New Jersey Devils has come to a close. After spending nine seasons with the club, he has moved to another team within the division. The second sign and trade in the history of the league occurred. A busy offseason has happened for the Columbus Blue Jackets and their revamped blueline. First, it started by acquiring Ivan Provorov, but now it adds Severson to the mix. For both sides, this made a ton of sense and for different reasons.
Severson Contract Ideal For Both Sides
Devils would have done short term deal with Severson but the player’s camp led by agent Jason Davidson consistent for a year wanting 8 years. They got it in Columbus. Devils gave the agent permission Tuesday to negotiate contract with CBJ. Got done last night.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 9, 2023
Damon Severson would have been a hot commodity if he did hit the open market. Columbus made sure that was not the case. However, there was a slight chance he ended up staying in the Garden State. Pierre Lebrun reported that the Devils would have given Severson a short-term deal. His agent wanted a longer-term contract for his client, and that is when the dialogue began, and the negotiations started. There is a good reason that the Devils would offer Damon Severson that type of contract.
No Longer A Fit In Jersey
Some good things come to an end. That is the case for Severson. After spending nine years with the club, he has a new contract in place. It truly is unfortunate because he spent the majority of the bad years with the team. Now the Devils have established themselves as a superior team in the Eastern Conference and will be good for a long time. But given the Devils’ roster construction, Severson has fallen out of place.
The Young Kid On The Block
The hockey world knows all about Luke Hughes. He came in at the very end of the season but made an impact during the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, there is another young prospect in the pipeline that has helped seal Seversons fate. Here is what the Devils blue line looked like for the majority of the season:
Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton
Kevin Bahl – Damon Severson
Luke Hughes is a left-shot defenceman, so that doesn’t affect anything. You may likely find him alongside John Marino if Ryan Graves signs a new deal elsewhere. But why does this constructed blueline and what’s in the pipeline affect Severson? At the 2022 NHL Draft, Tom Fitzgerald selected Simon Nemec as the second overall pick. Nemec had a strong season playing with the Utica Comets. Nemec scored 12 goals, 22 assists, and 34 points in 65 games. It is safe to say his game transferred over to North America. In addition, Nemec was a point-per-game player with the Slovakia U-20 team.
Why Jersey Offered Short Term
One of the youngest teams in the NHL is letting their young guys take the reins. As great as Severson was for the Devils, the youth movement continues to sweep through the hockey team. New Jersey would love to have Severson around, but not for eight seasons. With Nemec right around the corner and playing the same side as Severson long-term doesn’t make sense for the overall outlook. Tom Fitzgerald getting a third for a pending unrestricted free agent is a huge win for him.
Big Victory In Columbus
The Damon Severson contract makes sense for Columbus. Say what you will about Severson, but he is a capable top-four defenseman in this league. Yes, he was primarily playing third-pair minutes with New Jersey, but look at the depth they had. Now he enters Columbus and will be a top-pair defenseman alongside Zach Werenski. After seeing players such as Seth Jones and Vladislav Gavrikov move on to greener pastures, a revamped blue line was in need. This season saw a rotation of players such as David Jiricek, Adam Boqvist, Andrew Peeke, and Erik Gudbranson. In addition, the combinations used were a laundry list. However, here is what it is projected to look like next season:
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Erik Gudbranson – Adam Boqvist
It is a new look blueline and should instill optimism. Columbus was the second-worst team in expected goals against (213) and went on to allow the most goals (231). This was all at 5v5. The bar is set very low, but the team should be improved in this regard.
Why Severson Long Term Makes Sense
DAMON SEVERSON COMPLETES THE COMEBACK, DEVILS WIN IT IN OVERTIME!#NJDevils pic.twitter.com/XRr5CjP8Ku
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 7, 2023
When looking to revamp the blueline, Severson fits the bill. Severson has a high offensive upside and excels in transition. A team that struggled to score goals (143 at 5v5, 213 all situations) now has a player that can help generate that offensive play. At 5v5, Severson was one of the best players for the Devils. With him on the ice, shot attempts were in the team’s favour (1543-1186). In fact, he had the best expected goals for (83.19) on the team. His ability to generate offence was great for the club. Scoring chances with him on the ice (869-544) was among the highest for the club. It truly was a tremendous season for Severson. Severson would finish the season with 33 points. This was good for ninth on the team and second among defensemen.
Aside from his offensive side, his defensive game is good as well. Among pairs for the Devils that logged 100 minutes, any pair Severson was on had the fewest expected goals against. For example; Severson logged the most minutes with Brendan Smith and together they finished with 2.12 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Columbus is getting the entire package with Severson.
The bottom line is, Columbus needs defensemen and better hockey players. Damon Severson is a good hockey player and will play a key role on this team going forward.
The Room For Optimism
2019 feels like a lifetime ago. That team pulled off one of the best upsets in playoff history and nearly made it out of the second round against the Boston Bruins. But after that exit, high-profile players such as Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene all walked away from the team. Not to mention Seth Jones is also no longer with the club. Management ran into a pickle seeing all its top-tier talent walk out the door. However, there is cause for hope. The team managed to land the biggest fish last season in Johnny Gaudreau. While the season was a lost cause, getting players to want to play in Columbus was the key thing. Damon Severson is not Gaudreau and not even close. But they now convinced another player to sign a long-term deal to play for the franchise. The Damon Severson contract is another victory for this reason alone.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
