Butcher?

[Frank Lemieux]

Some news of Will Butcher? Where he's gonna land?

[Jouko-Pouko]

Probably every team in the league wants him but I'm not sure if they can talk to him before August 15th. At this point, he could land almost anywhere. It depends on which city he likes and which team offers him the best opportunity to play in the NHL either right away or very quickly.

[Sulla]

Regardless of where he lands do we really see much upside?

[Jouko-Pouko]

Regardless of where he lands do we really see much upside?

40 points or so IMO.

[Sulla]

And that won't be obtained until his prime which will be at least another 3-4 years

[Jouko-Pouko]

And that won't be obtained until his prime which will be at least another 3-4 years

That is correct. But he's a very mature prospect, so he'll produce sooner than most realize. I'm happy if he gets 20 points this season and then improves to that 35 point range over 3-4 years. But of course it's entirely possible he spends the entire season in the AHL.

[PenguinHunter]

Baker?

Candlestick maker?

in all seriousness though.. I think he will spend a full season or two in the AHL... unless he gets signed by Vegas who could inject him into lineup right away.

[scdakotart2000]

Depends where he lands. This year I think 20-30 is what he will achieve if he signs with a team he can make out of camp. Of course, much less if he gets assigned to AHL. I think he has a floor of around 20-25 and a ceiling of 45.

[FinnishFlash]

20 points this year, upside for 45 long term if he gets in the right situation

[chuckcouples]

Baker?

Candlestick maker?

in all seriousness though.. I think he will spend a full season or two in the AHL... unless he gets signed by Vegas who could inject him into lineup right away.

Vegas would be the last place I expect Butcher to sign. Vegas has 11 dmen on NHL contracts with only one of them being waiver exempt.

My top 3 places he might sign are Chicago, Winnipeg or Washington.

[forsbergfan]

Since everything is speculation with Butcher at this point, it helps to look at where he comes from, which is Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Looking at a map, that's very close to Chicago, not far from Minneapolis, and also fairly close to Detroit and Columbus. Of those teams, I suppose Chicago makes the most sense, but Detroit also needs D depth quite badly, and he'd be a good fit.

I wouldn't count out Buffalo. I recently saw a rumor (not sure where) that Buffalo expects to be in play for Butcher, and it would be a great landing spot for him. He'd be an integral part of their future considering their lack of D depth, and with their amount of young stars, he'd definitely be attracted to them.

[Axeman33]

My guesses:

Chicago, Pittsburgh, Toronto and considering Montreal now needs a puck moving Dman, they could be in the mix too (or at least they should be).

[rtstr]

Devils are a dark horse. They can afford to pay him more than he's worth and their D is so bad he'd waltz right into the top 6 and a powerplay spot.

[Magicstew]

NJ, Mtl, Buf should definitely be in running - Vcr should make a play as well as Edm -even though they got burned on Schultz, were on the right track

[Axeman33]

Devils are a dark horse. They can afford to pay him more than he's worth and their D is so bad he'd waltz right into the top 6 and a powerplay spot.

He's going to get the same money no matter where he signs, it's an ELC.