Devils Sign-And-Trade Defenseman To Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been making significant moves this offseason to bolster their defensive lineup.

In a series of trades, they have acquired two top-four caliber defensemen in Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils and Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sign and trade!#njdevils are signing D Damon Severson, the No. 1 free agent available on the market, to an eight-year deal before trading him to #CBJ.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 9, 2023

These moves come as the Blue Jackets aim to strengthen their blue line and address the challenges they faced during the previous season, which was marked by injuries and a weakened defensive lineup at times.

In the sign-and-trade deal with the Devils, the Blue Jackets secured the services of pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Damon Severson.

Severson, a reliable and experienced defenseman, is set to sign an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $6.25 million.

🚨 WE’VE GOT A TRADE TO ANNOUNCE 🚨

The Devils send Damon Severson to the Blue Jackets in a sign-and-trade …

The pending UFA gets 8 years, $6.25M per and will be joining Columbus’ blue line pic.twitter.com/8mY7RrsBwA

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 9, 2023

His addition brings stability and skill to the Blue Jackets' defensive corps, joining a promising group of young defensemen that includes Adam Boqvist, Nick Blankenburg, David Jiricek, and Andrew Peeke.

In another significant move this week, the Blue Jackets acquired defenseman Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-team trade.

These moves demonstrate the Blue Jackets' commitment to reshaping their roster and making substantial changes to compete at a higher level. With Provorov and Severson now on board, the Blue Jackets have added two proven defensemen to their lineup, enhancing their chances of success in the upcoming season.

Damon Severson is joining the #CBJ in a sign-and-trade with #NJDevils after agreeing to an eight-year contract, per sources.

Another pending UFA comes off CJ's Big Board.@NorthStarBet @TSNHockey @sdpnsports

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 9, 2023

These acquisitions come after a challenging season for the Blue Jackets, which highlighted the need for defensive reinforcements.

This past season, the 28-year-old recorded seven goals and 33 points across 81 games.

Photo Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports