Blue Jackets need veteran defenseman Damon Severson to clean up his mistakes

COLUMBUS, Ohio Damon Severson was under pressure deep in the Columbus Blue Jackets defensive zone, the puck on the backhand side of his stick and his back to the blue line as Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak closed quickly.

In the NHL , players have about a half-second, if theyre lucky, to make a play.

Severson could have held onto the puck and waited for support to arrive.

Or he could have relied on the age-old adage: When in doubt, glass and out.

Advertisement But thats not what he did.

Severson tried to make a backhand pass to Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli , who was wide open a few feet away and had a clear path out of the zone.

Instead, Seversons pass was out of reach for Fantilli and right in stride for Bruins forward Morgan Geekie , who scored a pivotal 2-0 goal.

I see Fantilli is wide open and I make a play, Severson said.

Its almost like it happens in slow motion.

You want it to go on (Fantillis) stick, obviously, and it goes by his stick and youre like Oh, no.

Youre praying its not the worst-case scenario, which is what happened, unfortunately.

This wouldnt be a story if that were Seversons only flub in recent weeks.

But his inconsistent play, and his propensity for coughing up pucks at the worst times and in the worst locations, has clearly drawn the ire of coach Dean Evason and his staff.

Any puck that ends up in the (defensive-zone) slot, right down Broadway ...

its not good, regardless of how it happened, Evason said.

If former Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine hadnt assailed his former teammates and organization when the Montreal Canadiens were in Columbus on Dec.

23, the fact that the veteran Severson was made a healthy scratch would have been a bigger story.

It was a particularly bold move because the Jackets dressed seven defensemen in that game.

On Saturday, in the 4-0 loss to Boston, he was benched for the rest of the second period after the turnover that led to Geekies goal.

Geek Squad's snipin' pic.twitter.com/qfCWZ6UXDN Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 29, 2024 To his credit, Severson, 30, sat at his stall in the Blue Jackets dressing room after Mondays practice in Nationwide Arena and took full ownership of Saturdays gaffe and his recent struggles.

Im putting it on my shoulders, Severson said.

Im not looking to blame anybody else.

Its little things.

You watch me play my entire game, its not like Im bad.

Ive made two plays in the last three or four games, a couple of plays where ...

I just have to be simpler on the defensive side of the puck and not force things.

Advertisement Its not even having to battle through it.

Im not playing bad, Ive just made a couple of mistakes that have been amplified, and I cant make (those) if were going to win hockey games.

Evason left open the possibility that the Blue Jackets will dress seven defensemen again at 8 p.m.

Tuesday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in a New Years Eve game.

Severson took practice drills Monday on the right side of a pair with Jake Christiansen .

The veteran coach didnt want to make Severson a healthy scratch, and he didnt want to bench him during Saturdays game.

(Severson returned for the third period,) And he concurred with Severson that its not his overall play thats an issue, just one or two decisions a game that are unnecessarily risky.

Were trying to find a way to get those (turnovers) out of his game, Evason said.

Ill tell you this: For the majority of the game, its really good.

Its just we have to eliminate those major mistakes that end up in our net.

When I say that, everybody makes mistakes.

Thats what this game is about, right? But if they continue to happen, then we have to make, in some way, the player accountable.

And Sevvy understands that.

Hes a pro.

He gets it.

Did he like being sat out? No, of course not.

But were on the same page, and were moving forward in a positive manner.

Any conversation about Severson inevitably circles back to the contract he signed with the New Jersey Devils before he was traded to the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2023 when the Jackets added two veterans Ivan Provorov was the other to help lure coach Mike Babcock into taking the job.

Severson is in the second year of an eight-year, $50 million contract (through 2030-31), the kind of long-term, big-dollar contract that can hamstring a small-market club.

Put nicely: This has to work out for the Blue Jackets.

Advertisement When Severson first arrived in Columbus, he assigned his struggles to trying to live up to the contract.

I was trying to prove myself right away and win the Norris (Trophy) in, like, two games, he said.

That hasnt been the case this season, he said.

Mostly, hes been a solid contributor.

Damon Severson scores from a CRAZY angle! pic.twitter.com/VzilRjs0TY Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 31, 2024 Severson has six goals, 11 assists and 17 points in 36 games this season, ranking second among Blue Jackets defensemen (after Zach Werenski ) in all three categories.

Hes also playing 21:56 per game, trailing only Werenski and Provorov.

Further, hes the type of mobile defenseman who should excel in the modern NHL, especially in Evasons system, which encourages defensemen to join the rush and be aggressive offensively when the situation is right.

But theres no system that can abide the type of mistakes that Severson has made.

Ive made a couple of plays when the puck is on my stick recently where Ive just got to be a little more simple, Severson said.

Theres a time and a place for the nice plays I can make, but it was in the wrong zone (Saturday), unfortunately.

If that happens in the offensive zone, its not a big deal.

When its in our defensive zone, its amplified.

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images).

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