When former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen made a few last-minute trades in the summer of 2023, many were furious. On one hand, yes, trading for a solid defenseman like Damon Severson was a good thing. On the other hand, signing him to an 8-year max deal at $6.25 million per season wasn't ideal. Severson had a much better season in 2025-26 than he did the previous year, but unfortunately, his season was ended early due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. There is no official timetable given by the team, but he should be ready to go at the start of camp or very close to it. Let's take a look at Severson's stats for this past season. Contract Status - Going into year 4 of an 8-year deal at $6,250,000 signed in 2023. Games Played - 71 - The 7th most of his season. Goals - 8 - Up from 6 the previous year and the 3rd most of his career. Assists - 24 - Up from 19 the previous year, and the 4th most of his career. Points - 32 - Up from 25 in 2024-25 and the 4th most of his career. Shots - 93 - Up from 91 the previous year. Shooting % - 8.6% - UP from 6.6% the previous season, and the second highest of his career. He set a career best in his first year with Columbus at over 10%. Time On Ice - 21:04 - The second best of his CBJ career. He played 19:03 last year under Dean Evason. Game Winning Goals - 2 - Tied his career mark set in New Jersey. Plus/Minus - Plus-18- His career best by a large margin. He was a plus-9 in New Jersey in 22-23. His CBJ best was in 24-25 at a plus-5. Hits - 39 - The 11st worst of his career, and also worst of his CBJ career. Blocks - 86 - 6th best of his career and second best since he's been in Columbus. His Corsi and Fenwick % were actually the best of his CBJ career, and second-best overall. His Corsi was at 55.1% in 25-26, compared to his career low of 47.7% in 24-25. His Fenwick was also the best of his CBJ career and second-best overall, with a 54.9%. Damon Severson clearly had a positive influence on the team this season. Once Rick Bowness came in, Severson took off after getting a new partner in Zach Werenski. Yes, Werenski tends to have that effect on players, but Severson has generally been known as a decent defenseman. One thing he acknowledged at his exit interview was that when he started playing with Werenski, he could focus on defense and not have to drive the play offensively, since Werenski is the man for that. The result? Severson having one of the best seasons of his career. Two of Severson's three years in Columbus have been pretty good. If he can back it up next year with another good season, maybe fans will stop asking for him to be bought out or traded. Being bought is not an option anyway, since the buyout would last over a decade. Provided he can come back from this shoulder injury, he should have another good season next year. He said he loves playing for Rick Bowness and that he's the best coach he's ever had. Maybe that will motivate him to play even better. Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft Lottery on May 5, 2025, where the CBJ will most likely pick 14 or 15. Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwm-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and never miss a story. Let us know what you think below. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
