Another important—but perhaps underappreciated—restricted free agent is off the board, as Damon Severson has signed a new contract with the New Jersey Devils. The contract is for six years and $25MM, and does not include any trade protection. The salary breakdown is as follows:
- 2017-18: $2.5MM
- 2018-19: $3.0MM
- 2019-20: $4.675MM
- 2020-21: $4.675MM
- 2021-22: $5.05MM
- 2022-23: $5.1MM
While many saw last season as a breakout for Severson, after Adam Larsson’s departure put more of the spotlight on him in New Jersey, he’s been playing at an extremely high level since he entered the league in 2014. Now 23, Severson has recorded 69 points in 203 games while logging 20 minutes a night nearly every game for the Devils. He is the leader on their blueline, and will now be rewarded with a long term contract.
The Devils of course moved Larsson to the Edmonton Oilers last summer in exchange for Taylor Hall, leaving Severson as the top right-handed option and powerplay quarterback on the team. His point total raised to 31 this season on the back of a big performance with the man advantage, but his defensive play is also up to snuff. Severson can at times look shaky in his own end, but generally drives possession with quick decisions. He doesn’t just clear the puck blindly, but moves it out with his feet or a quick first pass.
Speaking of Larsson, the new contract is exactly the same as the six-year $25MM deal they gave him in 2015, though that had some trade protection and was actually buying out three years of free agency. Severson will give up just two UFA seasons, and could hit the market at 28.
New Jersey, who’ve struggled the past five years to even ice a competitive team, have just a inked a shining star long-term that they can build around. The Devils are clearly still trying to compete for a playoff spot, but eventually they may need to do a slight tear-down and rebuild the team around young Nico Hischier, Mike McLeod, Pavel Zacha and others. Severson is now locked in as a top option on the blueline for some time.
The $4.167MM cap hit is plenty affordable for the Devils, and carries incredible value. As Larsson demonstrated, puck-moving right-handed defensemen signed for less than $5MM are very rare to find. It’s very plausible that Severson even takes another step forward this season and starts to compete with players like Tyson Barrie and Torey Krug in that next tier of offensive production. If he can do that without sacrificing anything in his own end, the Devils will be quite pleased with his cap hit for years to come.
Bob McKenzie of TSN reported the length and financial details.
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