The Blue Jackets got a welcome sight at practice Monday morning: Damon Severson was back in full, skating on the top pair with Zach Werenski. If he’s ready to make his season debut against Pittsburgh on Thursday, that would be a major boost for Columbus.
Severson has been sidelined since a season-ending shoulder injury on March 26, a setback that eventually required surgery. The rehab kept him out of contact work until late in training camp, so the Blue Jackets have taken the cautious route and let him build back toward game speed instead of rushing him into the lineup.
That patience makes sense. Columbus has already had to lean on its depth, but the risk of bringing Severson back too early would be even bigger. Last season showed why the club wants him healthy and settled before asking him to handle top-pair minutes again.
After two uneven years in Columbus, Severson finally looked like the defenseman the Blue Jackets hoped they were getting. He gave Werenski a strong partner and helped free him up for a Norris Trophy season.
Down the stretch, Severson was particularly effective, putting up 15 points in 27 games under Rick Bowness. The system fit him well, and it produced one of the best stretches of hockey in his career.
His absence was felt immediately. Once he went down, the Blue Jackets stumbled badly, going 2-7-1 and sliding from second in the division to out of the playoffs entirely.
That’s part of why the early-season issues on the back end feel familiar. Columbus has had a hard time getting out of its own zone, even with Denton Mateychuk doing a magnificent job in the role. But getting Severson back would strengthen the top pair and push Mateychuk back to the second unit, which is where the Blue Jackets are built to be deeper.
If Severson is activated, Jake Christiansen would come out of the lineup. Christiansen hasn’t earned the trust of the coaching staff and is averaging just 8:26 per game through the first two. Swapping that out for a veteran with 855 NHL games and 20-plus minutes a night is the kind of upgrade that changes the feel of a blue line fast.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Let One Problem Sink Kent Johnsons Bright Spot
Kent Johnson gave the Blue Jackets one of the few bright moments in a 4-1 loss to Utah Mammoth, scoring the lone Columbus goal in a game where the margin was never really in doubt for long. Jet Greaves did what he could to keep things from getting out of hand, turning aside 27 of 31 shots and handling eight Utah chances during four power plays, but Columbus spent much of the night chasing the puck and the scoreboard.
The bigger frustration was familiar: one good individual effort could not offset the penalty trouble that kept swinging the game Utahs way. The result also fit a strange pattern in the series, which had never before ended in regulation and saw the visiting team win all five meetings. For Columbus, Johnsons breakthrough was worth noting, but the more pressing question was how a promising piece of offense got buried under everything else around it. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Already Face An Early Test They Couldn't Afford
The Blue Jackets came out of opening week with a split, beating the Buffalo Sabres before dropping a game to the Utah Mammoth, and there were still a few encouraging signs in the mix. New forward Matthew Knies has already chipped in offensively, Adam Fantilli has been locked up on his new extension, and the roster is trying to settle in early while the schedule is still manageable.
Even so, the back end is giving Columbus a problem it would rather not have this soon. Injuries to Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson and Dante Fabbro have forced others into bigger minutes and tougher matchups, turning the first real stretch of the season into a stress test for a defense already short on experience. A lighter week awaits with games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues, but the Blue Jackets know the relief may not last long. [Read more 🡒]