Blue Jackets Place Damon Severson on Injured Reserve

After leaving Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, defenseman Damon Severson landed on the injured reserve today.

Severson will miss approximately six weeks as a result of an oblique injury suffered on Sunday. This is unfortunate news for a Blue Jacket team that is already struggling and searching for answers. They’ll now be without one of their top-three defensemen for one of the busier portions of the schedule.

Through 19 games this season, Severson has 3 goals, 5 assists (8 points), and 12 minutes in penalties. He’s sitting with a +1 rating, and is one of only two Blue Jacket players on the positive side of that ledger (Justin Danforth, +6). He appeared to be injured while diving to keep a puck in the zone on the power-play; which only added insult to the Jackets as the Flyers scored a shorthanded goal as a result of the play.

The injury is unfortunate timing for a variety of reasons. The Jackets have lost 9 games in a row (0-7-2), and they play 11 games over the next three weeks. The matchups don’t get any easier, either – including a back-to-back with travel coming up this Sunday in Carolina, then Monday at home against Boston.

We have to mention that Severson has stayed mostly healthy throughout his career, but especially over the last three seasons. He’s missed just three games combined since the start of the 2020-21 season, so it’s unfortunate to see him become the first long-term casualty on the blue line. His durability was a big part of the reason the Jackets sought him out over the summer.

Hopefully, part of that durability means him making a quick recovery. He’s already a big part of the mix on the back-end for this team, and they are in no situation to be without his services for a long stretch of time.

The team also announced that they were sending right wing Trey Fix-Wolansky back to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). These two moves leave the Jackets with just 21 players on the roster, which makes me wonder what their next move might be. Perhaps they’ve decided it’s time to get Kent Johnson back on the NHL roster? Stay tuned.