After a terrific offseason, the New Jersey Devils made another big move on Monday. They re-signed Damon Severson to a six-year, $25 million deal.
Damon Severson’s new deal with the New Jersey Devils carries an annual average value (AAV) of $4.166 million. However, according to NJ.com’s Andrew Gross, the Devils backloaded the 23-year-old defenseman’s contract.
2017-18: $2.5M
2018-19: $3M
2019-20: $4.675M
2020-21: $4.675M
2021-22: $5.05M
2022-23: $5.1M https://t.co/l7fDcRfkoq— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) September 11, 2017
This was an important part of the Devils offseason because Severson is going to be an important part of this Devils team for years to come. He scored three goals and dished out 28 assists for 31 points in 80 games last season. Over parts of three years with the team, he’s scored 69 points (9 G, 60 A).
Severson is a player that can be a top-pairing defenseman. That’s exactly what the Devils need him to turn into. Thus far, he hasn’t been great defensively, but that’s usually the last part of a young defender’s game that develops. If his puck moving improves he’s going to be the cornerstone of a lot of good Devils teams.
This deal is just another notch in general manager Ray Shero’s belt. He brings the young defenseman back on a team-friendly deal that won’t become a cap problem, regardless of how good the Melville, Saskatoon native turns out.
With training camp about to begin, this was a deal that was time-sensitive, and both parties were under the gun, Shero took care of business once again. It’s important that you have your younger players in camp, getting as many reps as possible if they’re going to continue to grow.
