What the aggressive Blue Jackets get in defenceman Damon Severson

A couple days after adding left shot, top four defenceman Ivan Provorov in a three-way trade, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was at it again Friday, landing right shot defenceman Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils.

Severson, who will turn 29 in August, was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but rather than lose him to the market for nothing the Devils were able to send his rights to Columbus for a third-round pick (via Calgary). The Blue Jackets orchestrated a rare NHL sign and trade, immediately announcing an eight-year, $50 million contract extension for Severson. His $6.25 million cap hit will be second-highest on Columbus' blue line, behind Zach Werenski's $9.583 million and just ahead of Provorov's $4.725 million.

This is another move that indicates the Blue Jackets will be a team to watch this summer, and that settling for strong lottery odds is not an option again in 2023-24. By no means should we consider them done.

Looking at Columbus' depth chart, we instantly notice a lot of defenceman on the roster and in the system. Meantime, after adding Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau to the wings in recent years, the Blue Jackets still have a weakness down the middle. They could add one with the third overall pick in the draft two and a half weeks from now, but might that be the next area of focus for the GM to address?

Time will tell, but Kekalainen is off and running.

So what is Columbus getting in Severson and how do their pairings project now for next season? For that, we turn to our scout Jason Bukala.

SCOUT'S ANALYSIS

Columbus continues to retool its roster with the addition of Damon Severson.

• Severson is a right-shot defenceman who complements the Blue Jackets' recent addition of Ivan Provorov, who is a left shot. The addition of Severson is a significant upgrade for the Blue Jackets' defence corps as a whole.

• Severson is best described as a two-way defenceman. He isn’t a physical player. He’s an area defender who relies on body positioning and an active stick defending in his zone. Severson was only credited with 44 hits this past season. He did, however, contribute 115 blocked shots.

• Severson averaged 20 minutes of ice time per game for the Devils this past season. He was deployed in all situations (second unit power play) and matches up well versus top nine forward opponents.

• Interestingly, Severson only produced five points on the power play. His 28 even strength points and plus-9 rating defensively would have easily led the Blue Jackets last season, but the fact the Jackets were ravaged with injuries to key players like Zach Werenski has to be considered for perspective.

• For as long as I have been scouting Severson, one of his most impressive skill attributes has been his passing ability. He passes the puck hard and accurately, launching the attack in the process.

• In my opinion Severson is an average plus defender overall. He’s a coveted, veteran, right shot defenceman who will provide added depth for the Blue Jackets and help solidify their top four slots. I envision their blue line pairings looking like this:

Werenski - Severson

Provorov - Peeke

Gudbranson - Boqvist

• David Jiricek could factor into this as well. The sixth overall pick in 2022 is at least a seventh, trending to being a fifth or sixth defenceman next season at the NHL level, but in time will be a top-pairing blueliner.

Draft Capital

It can’t go unnoticed how GM Jarmo Kekalainen has added to his roster without sacrificing draft capital. The Blue Jackets' draft board remains flush for the upcoming draft in Nashville – and beyond – giving the team a nice opportunity to continue to add to their depth via a “draft and develop” model.

Here is what the Blue Jackets draft board looks like: