The New Jersey Devils signed Damon Severson to an eight-year contract before trading him to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are staying busy this early into their off-season.

Defenseman Damon Severson is headed to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a sign-and-trade deal with the New Jersey Devils, the Blue Jackets announced on Friday morning. The new contract is eight years at $6.25 million per season. Severson was a pending UFA.

In return, the Blue Jackets send the Devils a 2023 third-round pick originally belonging to the Calgary Flames.

"Damon is a versatile defenseman who has great vision, moves the puck extremely well, has good size and can play heavy minutes at both ends of the ice," said Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen in a news release. "We are excited to have him join the Blue Jackets as he will be a very important part of our blueline for many years to come."

By getting the Devils to re-sign Severson before being moved, the Blue Jackets avoided trying to sign the 28-year-old in free agency, which would've had a maximum term of seven years.

The Melville, Sask. native posted 26 assists and 33 points in 81 games this season while logging 19:57 in ice time per game. In the playoffs, Severson had three points in 12 games and saw his ice time slightly reduced to 18:33 per game.

New Jersey drafted Severson 60th overall in the 2012 NHL draft, and he became a full-timer on the team in the 2014-15 season. In his nine seasons with the Devils, he has 205 assists and 263 points in 647 games. 

The Blue Jackets acquired left-shot defenseman Ivan Provorov on Tuesday in a three-team trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings. With Severson as a right-handed D-man, the Blue Jackets are loading up in an attempt to improve from the NHL's second-worst 4.01 goals-against per game in 2022-23. With Zach Werenski expected to fully recover from shoulder injuries that kept him out most of this season, they appear committed to striving for a playoff spot in the competitive Metropolitan Division. 

Eight-year contracts always come with some risk – Severson will be 36 by the time his new deal ends, and his average ice time this year was the lowest since 2017-18 on a crowded blueline. 

As for the Devils, they have right-shot defender Simon Nemec who put up 34 points in 65 games for the AHL's Utica Comets in his rookie season and was named to the league's top prospects team. The 19-year-old could slide into Severson's spot on the third pair next season to transition into the NHL if the team believes he is ready.

New Jersey already traded away its first and third-round picks, so acquiring another third-rounder helps them keep the prospect pipeline flowing unless they look to flip the selection.