Damon Severson – Final Year Of Contract
This one is different than the other contracts because it’s not ending. Damon Severson is going into the last year of his six-year deal that he signed before the 2017-18 season. He’s only making $4.166 million against the salary cap every year. That price is going to go up, but the Devils have to figure out how high they want to go. We’ve heard that Severson wants to stay in Jersey and is willing to take somewhat of a discount to do that.
Still, what is a discount for a player who’s been with the team his entire career, averages north of 22 minutes per game for four straight seasons, and has a career-high 41 points? The Devils are going to work on an extension in the offseason because they want to know whether it makes sense financially to keep Severson here. If he wants more money than they are willing to pay, then it’s something they have to work out.
Severson deserves a raise, but the Devils are already paying Dougie Hamilton $9 million per season to play on the right side of the defense. It’s a highly desired position, but can the Devils afford to go north of $6 million for the second-line right-handed defenseman? It’s a question Fitzgerald has to answer soon.
If they can’t come to an agreement, would it make sense for the Devils to just move on from Severson now? He’s one of the few positions the Devils don’t really have a replacement for, but he would get the Devils a huge return in the offseason.