New Jersey Devils Should Look To Keep Damon Severson

The New Jersey Devils are looking at the return of Dougie Hamilton on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team has been missing Hamilton for a few weeks after he broke his jaw on a shot. It’s really thrown the defense off as a whole. It’s put Damon Severson in a spot where he has to be a much more important member of this team. It’s also led to him making more mistakes, something that has lost the faith of the fanbase.

However, Damon Severson was never supposed to be the top defenseman on this team. Multiple times the Devils have tried to make a move for a superstar right-handed defenseman. Even before trading for P.K. Subban, they were hoping Andy Greene could hold onto that spot for a little longer. Somehow, Severson always ends up in that spot.

Severson is playing 23:30 in ice time per game this season. He leads the team. He also led the team in ice time last season with about a minute less per game than he has this season. The year before, once again, Severson led the Devils in ice time. The last time that Severson wasn’t the ice time leader on the team was when the Devils made the playoffs the last time. In 2017-18, Sami Vatanen was the ice time leader, and Severson was actually fifth that season.

It goes to show that the Devils have been forced to misuse Severson. When Severson is your second right-handed defenseman, the team is in amazing shape. When he’s the number one, things are much worse.

This brings us to our point. There is a lot of talk about Tom Fitzgerald talking about a reshuffling of this roster. It probably impacts much fewer players than it sounds, but one of the most intriguing players to watch this trade deadline is Damon Severson.

The Devils could trade Severson. He has a ton of value right now. His contract is perfect, paying him just over $4 million with an extra season on the deal after this one. There is a ton of value there. This came up when Chico Resch came on the Let’s Go Devils Podcast. He asked us if we would be willing to trade Severson straight up for a 1st-round pick. Many in our fanbase would say yes, but we aren’t so sure. We have seen how the Devils have spent those late 1st rounders, and the Devils might want a little more based on value.

There aren’t many players who can play like Severson on the market. A right-handed defenseman with term on his contract and an ability to play north of 20 minutes a night just doesn’t become available. That’s why the Devils shouldn’t make him available.

There’s a reason players like Severson aren’t available. It’s because they shouldn’t be available. He’s an incredible asset for the price. He continues to get put in a situation he shouldn’t be in. The Devils should try one more time to see if they can get Severson where he should be. He should be behind Dougie Hamilton in ice time. With less time comes fewer mistakes for Severson.

Severson has the chance to redeem his career in New Jersey. The Devils haven’t been great with him on the roster, but there is a chance here to turn it around. It will be telling the direction the Devils decide to go when the NHL Trade Deadline comes and goes. If a team comes to the Devils with an insane offer, then sure, make the trade. Beyond that, keeping Severson is the best option.