The Blue Jackets had plenty to sort through after last season, especially with the rough closing stretch hanging over everything. But not every storyline was a negative one. A few players took real steps forward, and if Columbus is going to build on anything from that year, it starts with keeping that progress alive.
Damon Severson sits near the top of that list.
After two seasons that never quite settled into place in Columbus, Severson finally looked like he had found his rhythm. He opened the season strongly over the first couple of weeks and was arguably one of the team’s best players during that early run. The biggest change was simple to see: he played with more comfort and far more consistency, and his game started to look like the steady two-way presence the Blue Jackets needed.
Some of that clearly comes down to familiarity. Severson spent nine seasons with the New Jersey Devils before the trade to Columbus, and that move was the only one of his career. It took longer than expected, but he eventually seemed to get on the same page with his new teammates.
The numbers back it up. Severson finished with seven more points than he had the season before while appearing in just one additional game, and his plus-minus climbed from +5 to +18. That +18 was second on the team, trailing only Mason Marchment’s +21 in his 39 games as a Blue Jacket.
The deeper metrics paint an even stronger picture. At even strength, Severson posted a team-best 2.95 expected goals for per 60 minutes and a 2.27 expected goals against per 60 minutes among Columbus defenders, according to MoneyPuck. He also led the team with a 56.5% expected goals percentage, and his actual goals percentage of 55.3% was the highest on the roster as well.
There’s no need to pile on more numbers to make the point. If Severson can hold onto that level of play and that kind of consistency, the 31-year-old has a chance to matter a lot for the Blue Jackets this season.
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