Damon Severson’s return from shoulder surgery rehab has given the Columbus Blue Jackets a timely boost, and his first three games back have been hard to miss.
The veteran defenseman has stacked up a goal and three assists for four points in those three appearances, along with a plus-3 rating. He’s also put four shots on goal and has been logging about 23 minutes a night, a workload that says plenty about where Columbus is leaning on him.
His latest outing came in a 7-3 loss to Florida, where Severson still managed to stand out. Against the Panthers, he picked up two assists and finished at plus-3, making him, by the numbers and the eye test, the Blue Jackets’ most effective skater.
The performance only added to what has already been a strong start after the layoff. Severson, 32, from Melville, Saskatchewan, has spent the last few seasons drawing plenty of scrutiny, but he’s now up to 89 points in 211 games with Columbus. Last season was his best from a plus-minus standpoint, as he finished at plus-18.
That surge came after he moved onto the top pairing with Zach Werenski, and the shift changed the conversation around him. The criticism faded, and when Severson was injured near the end of last season, Columbus seemed to feel the absence along with it.
For now, the early return is simple enough: three games in, Severson looks sharp, productive, and very much back in the mix.
The Blue Jackets return home Saturday to face the New York Rangers.
In Other News...
Rick Bowness Calls Out Blue Jackets Over Effort And Standards
Rick Bowness did not try to soften the blow after Columbus was routed by Florida, a 7-3 loss that left the Blue Jackets searching for answers yet again. The coach was plainly frustrated by the way his team played, hoping the performance serves as a jolt for a group that has now dropped three of its last four and continues to fight for consistency early in the season.
The Panthers took control behind Brady Tkachuks natural hat trick, but for Bowness the larger issue has been the same one he has raised before: effort, culture and the standard the Blue Jackets are supposed to meet every night. He has already spent parts of the 2025-26 season challenging his roster on those fronts, and after another uneven showing, the message is becoming impossible to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Let A Strong Start Slip After A Costly Turning Point
Connor Garland was in the lineup despite being sick, and the early going had the feel of a game the Blue Jackets could still steer their way. They got production from KJ and Brady in the first two periods, while the overall pace and penalty volume kept special teams in the spotlight and made every shift feel a little heavier than usual.
Then the turning point arrived, and it swung the game hard. A slashing penalty on Mathieu Olivier led to a lengthy major and opened the door for the other side to seize control, with the momentum of the night shifting on special teams in a way Columbus could not answer. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have A Mathieu Olivier Problem They Can't Ignore
Mathieu Olivier has spent enough time around the Blue Jackets to know what kind of edge he brings to the lineup, but lately that edge has started to cut both ways. In a recent game against the Florida Panthers, the Columbus forward was sent off with a five-minute major and a game misconduct after slashing defenseman Uvis Balinskis in a sensitive area, a sequence that quickly turned an already tense night into one the Blue Jackets had to absorb shorthanded.
It was the third time in five games that Oliviers decisions have worked against Columbus, after an unsportsmanlike penalty on opening night and a fight with Ross Johnston that came at a moment when the games momentum shifted away from the Blue Jackets. For a player whose style is supposed to help set a tone, the larger concern now is whether the team can keep paying for those flashes of agitation, especially with no word yet from the NHLs Department of Player Safety on whether further discipline is coming. [Read more 🡒]