The Blue Jackets will head into a critical, final 10-game stretch that will determine their playoff destiny without Damon Severson.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets can’t convert vs Montreal Canadiens: Takeaways
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The veteran defenseman is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury that forced him to leave in the third period of a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on March 26 in Montreal.
“It is a big loss,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said after practice March 27. “We’re not going to replace him, so what I talked to the team about today is that while he’s out, we just need everyone’s best game. We’re not going to replace him, but that puts the onus on the other players to be at their very best, and that’s how you try to make up for it.”
Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (at left) celebrates his goal during a March 21 game against the Kraken with defenseman Zach Werenski.
Severson, who scored the only Columbus goal in Montreal, has put together an impressive rebound season after struggling to live up to an eight-year, $50 million contract he signed in July 2023 as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the New Jersey Devils.
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A year ago, he finished the season as a healthy scratch while the Blue Jackets made a final push that got them within two points of qualifying for the playoffs. In his third year with the Blue Jackets, Severson has put together arguably the best overall season of his 12-year NHL career.
Offensively, he’s added eight goals, 24 assists, 32 points in 71 games and has a career-best +18 rating while skating predominantly in one of the top two defensive pairings.
Per Natural Stat Trick, Severson played almost even amounts with Ivan Provorov on the second pairing and Zach Werenski on the top pairing, which is where he skated in Montreal before the injury happened on a collision with Zachary Bolduc.
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Blue Jackets battle Montreal
Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) celebrates the win against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammate forward Zack Bolduc (76) at the Bell Centre.
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Blue Jackets battle Montreal
Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) celebrates the win against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammate forward Zack Bolduc (76) at the Bell Centre.
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Referee Graham Skilliter (24) calls a goalie interference penalty on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner (38) after he collided with Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) during the third period at the Bell Centre.
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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (48) squares off with Columbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner (38) after Jenner collided with Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) during the third period at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner (38) collides with Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) during the third period at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko (86) plays the puck and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) defends during the third period at the Bell Centre.
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Blue Jackets battle Montreal
Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) talks to referee Jake Brenk (26) during the first period of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre.
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Blue Jackets battle Montreal
Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) plays the puck during the first period of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner (38) plays the puck during the first period of the game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble (47) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (4) plays the puck in the corner while Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans (71) defends during the first period at the Bell Centre.
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Blue Jackets battle Montreal
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (78) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier (24) plays the puck and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) defends during the first period at the Bell Centre.
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Blue Jackets battle Montreal
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) plays the puck and Montreal Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov (93) forechecks during the second period at the Bell Centre.
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Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield (13) plays the puck during the second period of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves (73) plays the puck and Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson (17) pressures during the second period at the Bell Centre.
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Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves (73) plays the puck during the second period of the game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
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Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans (71) shoots the puck during the second period of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre.
Severson also filled a role on the left wall for the Jackets’ second power-play unit, which has scored some key goals since Bowness’s arrival Jan. 12. Columbus’ play during this stretch has taken the team from last in the Eastern Conference to third in the Metropolitan Division.
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Severson’s absence creates a spot in the lineup for either Jake Christiansen or Egor Zamula to rejoin the rotation, and it might prompt Werenski and Fabbro to skate together as a reunion of last season’s successful top pairing.
“Just talking to the coaches who were here last year … they say this is the best [Severson] has played in the last couple years,” Bowness said. “So, give him a lot of credit. It’s terrible timing for us, it’s terrible timing for him, but since I’ve been here, I’ve loved working with him. He’s a great teammate, he’s coachable, and he’s a very, very good player.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Damon Severson out week-to-week for Columbus Blue Jackets