Blue Jackets’ Damon Severson to make season debut against Penguins

The Columbus Blue Jackets are welcoming a veteran blueliner back into the fold.

The Blue Jackets announced that they have activated defenseman Damon Severson off the injured/non-roster list, which will allow him to make his season debut in Friday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Severson, 32, suffered a shoulder injury in March, and underwent surgery that forced him to miss the end of last season and Columbus’ first two games this season.

In 71 games played last season prior to the injury, the Melville, Saskatchewan native notched eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points while averaging just over 21 minutes of ice time.

Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Severson spent the first nine seasons of his NHL career with the Devils, including his career-best campaign in 2021-22 in which he put up 11 goals and 35 assists for 46 points in 80 games.

After signing him to an extension, New Jersey traded Severson to Columbus in June of 2023 in exchange for a third-round draft pick.

In the 2023-24 season, Severson’s first with the Blue Jackets, he had nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points in 67 games while averaging a roughly 21 minutes of ice time. In the 2024-25 season, he registered six goals and 19 assists for 25 points in 70 games while averaging about 19 minutes of ice time.

Severson is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $50 million contract with Columbus.

In his return, Severson should step right back in as one of the Blue Jackets’ top four defenseman, potentially on the team’s top pair alongside 2026 Norris Trophy-winner Zach Werenski.

Following Friday’s game against the Penguns, Columbus will visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday for its first road game of the season.