Will Butcher met with 5 teams on 1st day of NHL free agency

The Sabres, Golden Knights, and Devils were among teams to talk with the 2017 Hobey Baker winner.

Top college free agent Will Butcher met with five teams on his first day of availability, reports John Wawrow of the Associated Press. The 2017 Hobey Baker winner, given to college hockey’s best player, hit the open market at midnight on Wednesday after declining to sign an entry-level contract with the Avalanche.

The Buffalo Sabres, Vegas Golden Knights, and New Jersey Devils are among the five teams that met with Butcher on Wednesday, according to the player’s agent, Stephen Bartlett. The Columbus Blue Jackets have also made a pitch to Butcher, per The Athletic’s Craig Custance.

Bartlett told the Associated Press he’s set to talk with other teams in the coming days.

On the flip side, The Athletic says the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and San Jose Sharks have not contacted Butcher. At this point, it’s probably fair to scratch them off the list of potential suitors.

Butcher, 22, got drafted by the Avalanche in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL draft. The team never offered him a contract until this year, but with his draft rights set to expire on Aug. 15, he passed in favor of fielding offers from other teams. Coming off a breakout senior year at the University of Denver where his mobility and playmaking ability were on display, teams have lined up to take a flier on him.

Part of why Butcher will command so much interest is that he’s limited by entry-level contract rules. That means the most any team can offer him is two years with a $925,000 base salary and up to $2.85 million in annual performance-related bonuses. Jimmy Vesey got those exact terms from the Rangers last year, and it’s likely what it’ll take to get Butcher to sign on the dotted line.

The risk is minimal given Butcher will also get those bonuses if he plays well, so for teams looking for depth or another young player to enter the mix, Butcher is a logical target.

The Sabres and Devils both make a good deal of sense for Butcher given their lack of depth on defense. Buffalo has Rasmus Ristolainen, Marco Scandella, Zach Bogosian, Josh Gorges, Nathan Beaulieu, and Jake McCabe all making over $1 million, but Butcher would have a good chance to compete for playing time with the likes of Gorges, Beaulieu, and McCabe.

It’s even more wide open in New Jersey, where Andy Greene, Damon Severson, John Moore, Ben Lovejoy, Dalton Prout, and Michael Kapla are on the only defensemen on the NHL roster right now. The Devils have some young options in Mirco Mueller, Steven Santini, Josh Jacobs, and former KHL defenseman Yaroslav Dyblenko, but there would be ample room for Butcher to assert himself.

The Golden Knights’ situation seems less obvious given how crowded their blue line is. Vegas still has 11 defensemen under contract for next season, and only one of them (Shea Theodore) is waiver-exempt. So the team will need to make some moves before the season no matter what, and Butcher would be competing with a ton of other players for playing time in the NHL.

It’s also possible Butcher signs with another team beyond the three that have been detailed, as his agent stays busy over the next few days. Either way, it’s clear the sweepstakes is in full swing, and somebody will land a good defenseman prospect at a low price soon.