New Jersey Devils Win the Will Butcher Sweepstakes

The New Jersey Devils lost out on signing their own college free agent Alex Kerfoot this week.  However, they still managed to land the biggest prize of the college free agent sweepstakes.

Will Butcher, the former Denver Pioneer standout, was the prize of this class and is a great signing for New Jersey. The team announced his addition on Twitter Sunday night.

The Hobey Baker Trophy winner spent the past four years playing for the University of Denver in the NCAA.  Originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 5th round in 2013 Butcher chose to test the NHL’s waters this year instead of starting his career in Colorado.

Butcher is an offensive defenseman who excels on the power play and can provide a much needed boost for the Devils defensively.  In a total of 158 NCAA games Butcher netted 28 goals and 75 assists for an average of .65 points per game.  He served as an assistant captain on Team USA at the World Junior Championship and as the Captain for Denver last year.

While his numbers at Denver were great it’s his numbers in the World Juniors that truly impress.  Butcher had 2 goals and 4 assists in 10 total World Junior games.  So not only did he produce in the NCAA, but the production translated when he was playing against the worlds best.

Where Does Butcher Fit in?

Butcher should compete for an NHL spot this year.  While it’s not likely he makes the team to start the year, it’s not completely out of the picture. Still, it’s very likely he’ll be in the NHL by the trade deadline.  With John Moore in the final year of his deal, the worst case scenario for Butcher should be a trade deadline call up.

However, Butcher could find himself in a competition with Mirco Mueller for the final spot on the left side.  He has shown he’s extremely capable of running a power play unit and his offensive abilities should translate well early in the NHL.  Although his offensive should translate well, it will likely take him a while to catch up defensively.  It may take him a while to catch up defensively, but this is the perfect time to get those growing pains out of the way.

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New Defensive Outlook

Signing Butcher was a huge win for Ray Shero and the Devils.  Andy Greene is 34 and on the decline. The same can be said for 33-year-old Ben Lovejoy.  John Moore’s deal is up at the end of this year, and it looks more and more likely he’ll be dealt at some point.  That leaves RFA Damon Severson, Steven Santini, Michael Kapla, Mirco Mueller, Yaroslav Dyblenko, and the recently signed Butcher as the future of the Devils defense.

The oldest player in that group is the 23 year old Severson.  While the defensive outlook for Devils has been bleak there is a ton of potential in this young group.  In the past year Shero has added Kapla, Mueller, and Butcher; three young defenseman with tons of potential.  Fans will need to be patient but within the next year this group should begin to take form.