Damon Severson and the Columbus Blue Jackets have not exactly been a match made in heaven, to this point. Currently in the second year of an 8-year contract that pays him a hefty cap hit of $6.25 million per year, the veteran defenseman will be a healthy scratch tonight.
He will be sitting out in favor of 38 year old Jack Johnson, who is making league minimum money this year. Whether anybody in the organization wants to admit it or not, this is not an ideal situation.
It's not that Johnson doesn't deserve to get into the lineup. He's a veteran of 1225 regular season NHL games, and he has an additional 57 games of playoff experience. He's a Stanley Cup champion, obviously well-liked within and outside of the locker room; and he's a Columbus guy.
With that said, he's 38 years old, and was signed to a one-year contract to be the team's seventh defenseman. He's only supposed to fill in as needed. "As needed" shouldn't include playing ahead of the second highest paid defenseman on the team. But, here we are, with the Blue Jackets making a late season playoff push: Damon Severson will be a healthy scratch tonight.
At a time when they need all hands on deck, Severson's play has disappointed head coach Dean Evason so much that he doesn't even have him in the lineup. On a lot of occasions, I can see fans being upset by something like this. But, if you watched the last game, it was pretty much expected.
With Severson on the ice against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, the Jackets were out-shot attempted 21-17. This was in spite of the fact that he did not have a single start in the defensive zone. They were rolling him out against secondary competition, in easy situations; and still getting hemmed into their own end.
Worse, he took two costly minor penalties that I think can be described as lazy. He was caught out of position and reaching with his stick on both occasions. The advanced metrics can probably be ignored by the coaching staff, but the penalties will definitely catch Evason's eye. Not just that he took penalties, but how and when he took penalties.
The Jackets have just five defensemen signed beyond this season, and Severson has the second highest cap hit of the five. He has six years left on his contract at that level, and it's hard to see him living up to that deal as long as Evason is around. Things just aren't working here.
Damon Severson is a really good player. But, does he fit into the scheme?
With the success the Blue Jackets are having this season, I don't see them moving on from Dean Evason in the near future. The team is responding to his style very well. The young players are blossoming, and they are right in the mix late in the season. This is exactly where Don Waddell hoped they would be. Honestly, they are probably closer than he might have hoped.
So, the obvious question here is: can Severson play within Evason's system and get back into his good graces? Or, do the Blue Jackets need to find a way out of this deal?
Severson has a full no trade clause for two more seasons. This clause turns into a 20-team no-trade list in July of 2027. For that reason, any move the Blue Jackets want to make here would have to involve his approval.
At this point, I can see him being convinced to waive that clause for a fresh start somewhere else. Damon cannot be happy with being a healthy scratch for a team sitting outside of the playoff line. A guy with that kind of experience and his capabilities, should be in the lineup each and every night.
In the trade market, I think there is a lot of value here. He's a coveted right shot defenseman who can move the puck and ideally quarterback a second power-play unit. Even as he's struggled for much of this year, he's third on the team in scoring from the blue line, just 5 points behind Ivan Provorov - who has been used quite a bit more.
For both sides, a trade might be the ideal outcome here. Recent rumors show that Don Waddell wants to overhaul his defense and goaltending this summer. To overhaul his goaltending, he'll have to find a way out of the Elvis Merzlikins contract. Similarly, to overhaul his defense, I think he'll have to find a way out of the Damon Severson contract.
This is a situation that seems like it will be on the front burner as we head into the offseason.