The run on AHL veterans continues, as the St. Louis Blues have signed Chris Butler to a two-year, two-way contract. Butler was set to become an unrestricted free agent once again.
Now 30, Butler spent almost the entire 2016-17 season in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves after what has been an interesting NHL career. Selected 96th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, Butler showed off his offensive chops at the University of Denver for three years before jumping to the professional ranks. He almost immediately became a big part of the Sabres blueline, all the way up to a trade that took him out west.
Dealt in a package for Robyn Regehr and Ales Kotalik, Butler would spend several years with the Calgary Flames before eventually took a deal with the St. Louis Blues. Since then he’s been working on one-year contracts, making this a nice bit of stability for him and his family for the next couple of years. A veteran of 388 NHL games, Butler could provide some injury insurance for the Blues if they were ever in a jam.