One of the Devils' top defenders scratched; he remains a top trade target among blueliners
The New Jersey Devils, losers of their last 4, have made a surprising move ahead of their tilt against the Florida Panthers. The longest tenured member of the team, Damon Severson, is being held out of the lineup and in his place they're bringing in young Kevin Bahl.
In a normal season, a 4-game losing streak wouldn't be a cause for concern, especially for the New Jersey Devils, however starting the year a ridiculous 21-4-1 is going to raise expectations to sky high levels. It started with a 6-4 defeat to the New York Islanders, where Lindy Ruff pulled his goaltender with 8 minutes remaining. Then they blew a 3-1 lead to the New York Rangers and lost in overtime, followed by a 4-1 defeat to the Dallas Stars, which culminated in last night's loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
They've outshot their opponents in the last 3 games and last night's loss was disappointing considering they outshot the Flyers 49-24 but lost 2-1 in regulation. The game winning goal came off a turnover by Severson - in the third period - whose pass was deflected by Noah Cates and then sent Travis Konecny on a breakaway before he deposited the shot blocker-side.
Severson was a former second round pick all the way back in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut in 2014-15 and has been a member of the Devils ever since, playing in 596 career games over that time. He has been a coveted name on the trading block for a few years even after signing his 6 year extension that was worth 25 million dollars in 2017.
The Devils were supposed to be rebuilding again, or at least at the end of the rebuild this year, but shocked the hockey world with their incredible start. Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier are the building blocks for their future, Severson might not be a part of the plan anymore.
With Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, and John Marino signed long term, Ryan Graves and Kevin Bahl expiring at the end of the year, and forwards like Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, and Yegor Sharangovich in need of contracts as well, it could be the writing on the wall that they finally part ways with their long-time veteran.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 17 | 124 ANSWERS One of the Devils' top defenders scratched; he remains a top trade target among blueliners Is Damon Severson a viable option for the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 60 | 48.4 % |
| No | 64 | 51.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
