Damon Severson
Damon Severson played every game this season for the New Jersey Devils. It was only him and Jack Hughes who was in the lineup on a nightly basis. Severson at one point in the season looked like a legitimate top-line defenseman, but since March he’s been pretty bad. His team rankings 5v5 numbers since March 1st: Corsi For% 7th; xGF% 6th; High-Danger Chance% 7th. He was not very good in the second half of the season. He’s obviously someone who can provide a lot when he’s on, but his inconsistency will drive Devils fans insane. Severson is still only 26 years old. This is definitely someone who fits as a second-line right-handed defenseman for a long time, but he just couldn’t hold onto his first-line production for very long this season.
Grade: C+
P.K. Subban
Coming into this season, the expectations for P.K. Subban was to not be completely terrible. After he came with a ton of hype last season, everyone was hoping Subban could be a decent defenseman this year. Ignore the $9 million contract. Just let Subban be a good right-handed defender. He was that! Subban was bringing a lot of impact to the power play, he was scoring goals again, and he wasn’t terrible on the defensive end. Did he make mistakes? Of course, his game is built on volatility, but if this is the Subban he will be for the second half of his career, then he is someone we can get behind. Not even counting special teams, Subban is on the ice for a lot more high-danger chances than he is high-danger chances against. It would be ideal if he didn’t have to be on the penalty kill next season, but his price tag might force Lindy Ruff to keep him on the unit next season.
Grade: B