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New Jersey Devils: Recent Defensemen Contracts Show Value Of Damon Severson

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 20: Damon Severson #28 skates against the San Jose Sharks at the Prudential Center on February 20, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Sharks 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 20: Damon Severson #28 skates against the San Jose Sharks at the Prudential Center on February 20, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Sharks 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The St. Louis Blues just gave Colton Parayko an eight-year deal worth a total of $52 million. It was a surprising extension since Parayko has one year left on his deal worth $5.5 million this year. He was able to not only get a raise, but he’s getting it on a max deal. They tied themselves to Parayko for nine more years. He’s a good player, but is he someone who the team should tie themselves for close to a decade?

Parayko had a rough year that might be due to a back injury. However, his skill set doesn’t really help when it comes to back injuries. He will have a tough time living up to this deal for the Blues.

There haven’t been many value contracts from the blueline this offseason. Players like Darnell Nurse are getting massive deals in the $9 million range. We’ve seen this before with the very top of the market with players like Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty, but now every single decent to good defenseman is getting a huge contract with a massive term.

This brings us to the Devils. Obviously, a lot of the New Jersey Devils good fortune on defense surrounds Dougie Hamilton. His deal looks so much better in retrospective after seeing some of the deals that got signed this offseason. Hamilton’s seven-year deal comes with a modified no-trade clause in the final three years of the deal giving the Devils some flexibility.

On top of that, the Devils have another great contract on the books. Damon Severson signed with the Devils for six more years back in 2017. He still has two more years left on the deal, and he’s getting paid $4.16 million.

Some Devils fans aren’t happy with Severson, but there are times when he looks like an elite defenseman. He makes mistakes, sure, but the overall product is a positive to the Devils blue line. Getting what Severson brings to the table when so many other players make more to do less shows how good this contract was. There are 75 defensemen in the league who make more money than Severson. There are not 75 defensemen better than Severson in the NHL.

Watch this season as Severson is finally in the role that suits him best. Playing him on the second line with Ty Smith and taking him off most special teams will help him focus his game. He will continue to be one of the best contracts in the Metropolitan Division. It just keeps proving how well the Devils did on this deal.

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