New Jersey Devils: Will Butcher Is A Very Important Piece

The New Jersey Devils got another one of their young pieces locked up and he is one that can help this team in multiple different areas.

The New Jersey Devils have extended defenseman Will Butcher to a three-year contract with an average annual value of 3.73 million. They also avoided arbitration by doing so. This is a fantastic move for the Devils because Butcher clearly wants to be a Devil and he has performed well in his first two NHL seasons. Butcher chose the Devils in free agency after college, spurning the team that drafted him in the Colorado Avalanche.

Butcher made an immediate impact on the Devils, using his offensive talents to rack up points from the back end and help the Devils on the power-play. In his 154 NHL game career so far, he has 9 goals and 65 assists for 74 points. Not bad for a guy who is only two years into the league and a defenseman. It hasn’t been perfect for Butcher in his own end but those skills will continue to develop. There is no denying what Butcher can bring to the table from an offense point of view.

Now that the Devils have a guy like P.K. Subban in the mix and the emergence of Damon Severson, it will take a bit of pressure off of Butcher as he is no longer the only guy capable of running a power play from the back end. He will certainly still get his opportunities in that role and he should thrive going forward.

There is also more help at forward as far as offense goes, and more guys who will be able to take advantage of what Will Butcher can create for them from the back end. It is hard to find guys who can do what Butcher can from the back end and the Devils have recognized that with this deal. He will be an unrestricted free agent when the deal is done so he will be looking to get paid even more so he will be motivated. It is good, as a Devils fan, to see Butcher in the fold with no issues at all.