Damon Severson featured on Chris Johnston's trade deadline big board

Despite Severson's presence, I find it very unlikely the New Jersey Devils move on from their pending UFA defender.

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Chris Johnston, one of the NHL’s top insiders, recently released a big board in advance of the trade deadline.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson was among the 25 players featured. Johnston had this to say about the 28-year-old, who figures to be in line for a fairly healthy payday in a few month’s time:

There are some parallels here with the Dumba situation. Severson is likely headed for free agency this summer and found himself scratched for a game earlier in the season. Rival teams say he’s been dangled. However, the Devils are also challenging for the Metropolitan Division and certainly can’t be considered sellers at this deadline. 

For those that don’t follow the Minnesota Wild all that closely, the parallels are a) both players have taken on reduced roles relative to previous years and; b) both players are goners in the summer.

The problem is that these teams are unlikely to get players as good or better in return, should a move be made, and both teams – although much more likely in New Jersey’s case – are playoff bound.

The Devils sit 4th in the NHL as a whole, haven’t played a competitive series in a decade, and almost the entirety of their core has yet to suit up for a truly important game. They Devils can’t justify subtracting from their team; especially in a meaningful way.

While the Wild aren’t sitting quite as pretty in the standings, the Western Conference is as wide open as its been in a long, long, time. I mean, the Dallas Stars sit ninth in the NHL in wins and yet they lead the conference in points. If that’s the cream of the crop, is anyone scared? No.

But back to Severson. I would say ‘likely headed’ for free agency is an understatement. It’s a forgone conclusion in my opinion.