A Damon Severson appreciation post

Alex Chauvancy tips his hat to the longest tenured player on the Devils.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

Todd and I have written about it recently for Infernal Access and The Hockey Writers, but it appears likely that Damon Severson will be playing elsewhere in 2023-24.

That's not a slight on him or to say that the Devils wouldn't want him in their lineup again. But when you see numbers like 6 x $6-6.1 million a year get thrown around for him as an unrestricted free agent, it's safe to assume he won't be back. 

As such, I thought we'd get into Severson's time as a member of the Devils. There were some lean years with him on the roster since the team drafted him in 2012, although that was no fault of his. He wasn't a perfect defenseman by any stretch but he deserves some appreciation for the decade-plus he spent in New Jersey. 

Severson consistent through it all

Severson has gotten his fair share of criticism over the years. Some of it was warranted, as he is prone to the mental gaffe when he tries to make a high-risk, high-reward play. Though through it all, he's been one of the team's more consistent defenders. 

Severson came into his own during the 2017-18 season, the last time the Devils made playoffs prior to qualifying this season. Although he only had 24 points in 76 games, he began to establish himself as a legitimate top-4 defenseman.

With Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen taking the difficult defensive minutes, Severson and John Moore gave the Devils defensive depth they needed as their second pair to claw their way into a wild-card spot. 

Severson's expected goals above replacement (xGAR) shot up from minus-1.9 the previous season to 8.1 in 2017-18. From there, he became somewhat of an analytics darling during the Devils' leanest years. Not only were his analytics strong, but his counting totals also took off. He posted 11 goals and 39 points in 2018-19 and a career-high 46 points a season ago. 

The 2021-22 season was perhaps Severson's most interesting. With Dougie Hamilton battling injuries, Severson again had to take on an elevated role. He stepped up after getting placed alongside Jonas Siegenthaler on the top pair. In 618 minutes together, Siegenthaler and Severson posted a 55.26 expected goals percentage at five-on-five. 

It didn't matter because the Devils' goaltending was so bad but Severson thrived in a role he wasn't supposed to play but had to in so many previous years. The thought was Severson would slide into a second-pair role behind Hamilton this past season. After the Devils acquired John Marino, it seemed clear that he'd have his role reduced for 2022-23. 

That didn't matter to Severson, though. He accepted his spot on the third pair alongside Brendan Smith and Kevin Bahl for most of the season.

With Marino getting the difficult defensive minutes, Severson cooked offensively on the third pair. He was second among Devils skaters in xG% at 60.68 percent, and his total xGAR of 18.8 was the best of his career by far. 

If this was Severson's last season with the Devils, which seems likely, he certainly went out on a high note.

When looking at his career xGAR, he's been a model of consistency since the 2017-18 campaign:

If the Devils hadn't acquired Marino, we'd likely be talking about Severson re-signing instead of testing the UFA waters. Since the Devils have Šimon Nemec and Seamus Casey coming up the pipeline, plus Luke Hughes capable of playing the right side, it makes it all the more likely that Severson is playing elsewhere in October. 

After a season in which he cooked offensively, a deserved payday is coming for him. He's a right-handed, offensive defenseman – something NHL teams covet because they're always at a premium.

Perhaps it's with the Edmonton Oilers, who need to find an upgrade on the right side. Or maybe the Buffalo Sabres, who want to solidify their defense and a place in the playoffs after missing the cutoff by one point. 

Regardless where Severson ends up on July 1, Devils fans should be appreciative of his time in New Jersey. Stalwart isn't the right way to describe him because that wasn't what he was; but Severson was a consistent presence through plenty of trying years.

Thankfully, he got off a playoff run this season, one in which the Devils defeated their biggest rival in a thrilling seven-game series in Round 1.

He was their most consistent blueliner during the playoffs, and in a way, it was the ideal manner to close the page on his Devils tenure if that's where this is heading.

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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey