New Jersey Devils: Ray Shero Should Go All In On Will Butcher
By Nick Villano
Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher will make his way to free agency on August 15th. The New Jersey Devils need to sign him to change the perception of the defense.
The New Jersey Devils have been spending time worrying about losing forward Alex Kerfoot once August 15th comes around. The Harvard star will likely chose another team, despite being drafted by the Devils back in 2012. While that move will hurt for the Devils to lose him for nothing.
General manager Ray Shero can make one move on August 15th to make fans forget all about Kerfoot.
Denver Pioneers captain and Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher announced he will go forth with his free agency, despite negotiations with the Colorado Avalanche. Butcher is a defenseman, the team’s biggest need. He showed in college that he can lead a winning culture, after leading Denver to the NCAA championship last season.
Butcher was very good last season, scoring seven goals with 30 assists in 43 games. He finds a way to play great defensively without spending time in the penalty box. He only had 19 penalty minutes over the whole season.
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Butcher isn’t going to be a lock for the Devils to sign him, not by a long shot. He may be the most coveted college free agent coming on the market. Teams with better pedigrees like the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks will come calling. The only upper hand the Devils could have is familiarity.
Devils Insiders pointed out on Twitter that Butcher played three seasons at the University of Denver with Travis Zajac’s brother Nolan. He also played time on different USA teams with Steve Santini. Butcher can look at the Devils roster and see a majority of the roster is closer to his age. He could get close with almost everyone on the team, being they are all between 20 and 25 years old. Despite the age of the team, there is a future to be had in New Jersey.
Additions of Nico Hischier and Marcus Johansson make the forward group look like a strength. With a top line of Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, defense is all the Devils really need to compete (well, that and Cory Schneider forgetting last season). Being able to fill that final hole on the Devils could be enticing for Butcher.
The final reason Butcher may choose the Devils is playing time. If he goes to a team like the Blackhawks, his future isn’t guaranteed. He could play at his very best, and still log second line minutes with the likes of Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson still holding down veteran status on the blue line. (Correction: Niklas Hjalmarsson was traded this offseason to the Arizona Coyotes. We regret this error.)
It’s far from a lock the Devils have any chance at Butcher, but it would be hard to believe Shero won’t at least put the team into major consideration. Butcher could change the outlook of this defense overnight. With good young players like Santini and Damon Severson making the roster, along with veterans Andy Greene and John Moore, Butcher makes this defense a lot better. Shero needs to make this happen.