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Devils Sign Will Butcher To Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract

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The highly-publicized wait is over as Will Butcher will be joining New Jersey, the Devils announced.  The two-year deal is worth the maximum allowable base salary on an entry-level deal of $925K.  Andrew Gross of The Record adds that he can add an additional $850K in performance bonuses each year.  Butcher became an unrestricted free agent on August 16th after he chose to not sign with Colorado, who drafted him in the fifth round (123rd overall) in 2013.

[Related: Updated Devils Depth Chart]

Butcher played out his four seasons of eligibility at the University of Denver and saved his best play for last.  Named the captain for his senior season, the 22-year-old posted a career high 37 points (7-30-37) in 43 games while helping lead the Pioneers to the NCAA Championship.

As a result of his strong play, Butcher received plenty of accolades, including First Team All-American, NCHC Player of the Year, Frozen Four Tournament All-Star, and, most notably, the Hobey Baker Award which is given to the NCAA’s best player.

Although his agent Brian Bartlett had stated on quite a few occasions that Butcher wouldn’t necessarily look to go to a team that would give him an NHL spot right away, he’ll certainly have a chance to make an immediate impact with the Devils.  He’s undersized at just 5’10 but if his ability to run a power play translates quickly to the pro game, he’ll stand a pretty good chance of making their opening night roster.

As many as a dozen teams expressed an interest in signing Butcher, including the Blue Jackets, Kings, Golden Knights, Penguins, and Sabres.  Of those teams, he visited Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Vegas earlier this week.

Coincidentally, the two most prominent college free agents wound up switching teams in the end as center Alex Kerfoot, originally drafted by New Jersey, signed with the Avalanche earlier this week.

Will Butcher To Meet With More Teams Today

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Butcher-watch is alive and well, with Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reporting that Will Butcher is heading to New Jersey today to meet with the Devils, and will also have a meeting with the Los Angeles Kings at some point before making his decision this Sunday. Butcher has been linked to the Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights as well, though there still doesn’t seem to be a favorite to land him at this point.

The 22-year old defenseman is looking for long-term success, but nearly every place he’s visiting also offers a quick path to the NHL. The Devils have had a big offseason, starting with the drafting of Nico Hischier and continuing through their signing of Drew Stafford today. Adding Butcher to their defense would be the cherry on top, even if there are doubts of his next-level ability.

A powerplay quarterback and puck-mover, Butcher would offer something for the Devils that they currently don’t have outside of Damon Severson. They did add Mirco Mueller this summer, but still lack depth on the back end. Similarly, the Kings have seen Brayden McNabb selected by Vegas and could use some depth on defense. With rumors already starting to surround Drew Doughty, their group could take an even bigger hit at some point in the near future.

New Jersey Devils Sign Drew Stafford

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The New Jersey Devils have signed free agent forward Drew Stafford. The deal is for one season, and will pay Stafford $800K. Stafford ranked #21 on our list of the top 50 free agents, but will have to settle for a relatively low salary after a long wait this summer. He’s coming off six straight seasons of earning at least $4MM.

Drew StaffordAfter performing poorly in the first half with the Winnipeg Jets, Stafford was shipped off to the Boston Bruins at the deadline for just a conditional draft pick (it ended up being a fifth rounder). In Boston he seemed to find his legs again, scoring eight points in 18 games and providing solid bottom-six depth. That’s exactly what he’ll be asked to do in New Jersey, with the upside of his former 20-goal self making it a low-risk, moderately high-reward move. Stafford has shown an ability to play in almost any role on a club, moving up and down a lineup throughout his career.

The Devils have some shuffling to do in their forward group after Travis Zajac was injured, with Stafford perhaps providing a veteran winger for one of their young centers. Nico Hischier will likely be sheltered early on, and having a defensively responsible winger with some scoring touch like Stafford may be a good fit. If Pavel Zacha has to move back to center, he could be another fit alongside the long-time Buffalo Sabres forward.

[Updated: New Jersey Devils Depth Chart]

Stafford is a solid addition for a team looking to compete this season, and could even provide some powerplay experience for a team that had trouble scoring goals last year. Though he’ll play this season at age-32 and has clearly slowed down over the last few years, there could be something of a resurgence in a new market.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports broke the news on Twitter.

Latest On Will Butcher

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In the ongoing saga of Will Butcher, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the free agent defenseman is still meeting with various teams. Dreger says that Butcher has whittled his list down to three or four clubs, and will make a decision at the beginning of next week at the latest. Yesterday it was confirmed that Butcher had met with the Vegas Golden Knights, and trips to the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils have also been reported.

It will be interesting to see if other free agent defensemen like Cody Franson and Dennis Wideman get a little more interest once Butcher is off the board. Last year, after Jimmy Vesey signed with the New York Rangers, Brandon Pirri, Jiri Hudler and Dominic Moore all inked contracts within the next ten days.

Butcher’s size and overall defensive game makes him hard to project into a team’s top-4, but his offensive skill and ability to run a powerplay is hard to find on the open market, especially at his age. He’ll be signing a two-year, entry-level contract wherever he ends up.

Kinkaid Spoke With Several Teams In Free Agency

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  • Although he ultimately re-signed with New Jersey, goalie Keith Kinkaid acknowledged to Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media that he did speak to a few other teams during the interview period leading up to July 1st. Instead of going elsewhere though, he opted to sign a two-year, $2.5MM deal to remain with the Devils.  He’ll serve as Cory Schneider’s backup once again this coming season.

Jimmy Hayes To Attend New Jersey Devils Camp

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After being bought out by the Boston Bruins earlier this offseason, Jimmy Hayes has signed a professional tryout with the New Jersey Devils and will attend camp with the team, according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play this year for New Jersey, as PTOs are often used as showcases to other teams around the league.

Hayes was originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but saw his rights dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks before he even left Boston College. He would debut for the Blackhawks eventually, but struggle to find a consistent place in the lineup and eventually be dealt to Florida. There he found success, scoring 19 goals in 2014-15 before being shipped to Boston in order for the Panthers to get their hands on Reilly Smith (who they’ve subsequently dealt to Vegas). The three-year contract he signed with the Bruins turned out to be a disaster, as Hayes scored just five points all of last season and clearly didn’t have a place on the NHL roster going forward.

In New Jersey, the 27-year old Hayes will be battling youngsters for a roster spot in the bottom six. Players like Miles Wood, Blake Speers and Micheal McLeod each have their eye on a role with the team this year, but don’t have the experience that Hayes would provide. If he can show that he’s a legitimate option for 10-12 minutes a night, perhaps the Devils will want to allow their younger players to develop in the minors (or junior) instead.

Poll: Where Will Alex Kerfoot Sign?

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Last night Darren Dreger of TSN reported that NCAA free agent Alex Kerfoot had reduced his list of potential teams to five. Those he listed were the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. Arthur Staple and Steve Zipay of Newsday believe it’s even less than that, mentioning the Rangers and Sharks as the two finalists.

Kerfoot is from Vancouver, but could fit in as a depth center on many teams around the league. His senior season at Harvard went extremely well, registering 45 points in 36 games while taking over the captaincy from Jimmy Vesey. The New Jersey Devils were unable to sign him before the deadline, and he now has a chance very few young players are afforded: choose where to make your professional debut.

So where do you think he’ll land? There have been reports he could make his decision as soon as today, but it shouldn’t last much longer than a few days. If you believe a dark horse will swoop in at the last minute, make sure to leave it in the comments below.

Where will Alex Kerfoot sign?
New York Rangers 38.97% (311 votes)
Colorado Avalanche 30.45% (243 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 11.65% (93 votes)
San Jose Sharks 8.65% (69 votes)
Other 6.14% (49 votes)
New York Islanders 4.14% (33 votes)
Total Votes: 798

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Alex Kerfoot Down To Five Teams

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NCAA free agent and former New Jersey Devils prospect Alex Kerfoot has been expected to make a decision in the near future, and Darren Dreger of TSN has reported his “final five.” The Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche are the finalists for the Harvard forward. Arthur Staple of Newsday adds that he’s heard it’s just between the Sharks and Rangers.

Kerfoot became a free agent last week when the Devils were unable to sign him, and there were as many as 10 teams interested in signing him to an entry-level contract. Many believed his hometown of Vancouver would be his final destination, but other teams also provide interesting options. Former teammate Jimmy Vesey followed a similar path and signed with the Rangers last offseason, while the Sharks and Islanders both have their eye on the playoffs and could be losing key centers—Joe Thornton and John Tavares—after this season.

The Colorado connection is an interesting one, as the team could easily give Kerfoot a role right away on the struggling NHL team but does have several young centers that seem locked in for the long-term. Even if Matt Duchene is moved eventually, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher are all expected to stay in the middle which would likely require a move to the wing for Kerfoot.

It’s not clear exactly where Kerfoot’s priorities lie, as he hasn’t been as vocal as fellow free agent Will Butcher on what he’s looking for in his first professional opportunity. Kerfoot is expected to make a decision within the next few days, at which point he will have to sign a two-year entry-level contract.

New Jersey Notes: Schneider, Zacha, Henrique

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Up until this past year, the New Jersey Devils’ goalie Cory Schneider has been one of the top goaltenders in the NHL. Then with the help of one of the worst defenses in the league, Schneider saw his performances drop badly last year. The 31-year-old veteran posted a 1.97 GAA in 45 games in his first year in New Jersey in 2013-14. He followed that up with a 2.26 in 69 games and then a 2.15 GAA in 58 games in 2015-16. His play during those years was often what kept the Devils competitive.

Last year’s 2.82 GAA does not seem to be indicative of the career the netminder has had up to now. Yet, NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that this will be a pivotal year for the goaltender who is under pressure to prove that last year was a fluke. His .908 save percentage was not only a career-worst, but also one of the worst in the league. There were even rumblings the Devils should trade the veteran goaltender, but even with their offensive additions of Marcus Johansson and first-overall pick Nico Hischier, the team is not likely to score enough goals.

A bounce-back season is needed to re-establish his identity, otherwise the $30MM the team still owes him over the next five years will likely haunt instead.

  • The Devils have high hopes that prospect Pavel Zacha is ready for a breakout season this year, writes Gretz in a separate piece. The 20-year-old wing who was the sixth-overall pick in 2015, is coming off his first full season in the NHL. While his eight goals and 16 assists were modest in his first year, the team believes Zacha could have a big year. After struggling in the first half of the season last year with just seven points in 37 games, he showed improvement in the second half, putting up 17 points in the final 33 games. And with the injury to Travis Zajac who is expected to miss the next four to six months, the team may look to Zacha to fill the void as the 20-year-old played both center and wing for the team last year.
  • While there was talk of possibly moving center Adam Henrique to the wing position to make room for some of the young centers like Hischier and Zacha, the injury to Zacha guarantees that Henrique will stay in the middle, writes Jesse Kinney of the Hockey Writers.

Afternoon Notes: Flyers, Panarin, Butcher

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Even though the Philadelphia Flyers picked second overall in the 2017 draft, they weren’t that bad of a team. The Flyers actually finished the season with a 33-39-10 record, good enough for 88 points. Eleven teams finished worse in the standings than the Flyers. So, while the team wasn’t at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the team did make some changes. They got a little younger, trading away 25-goal scorer Brayden Schenn for struggling Jori Lehtera, a 2017 first-round pick and a conditional first-round pick in 2018, they let defenseman Michael Del Zotto walk and they swapped goaltenders, replacing veteran Steve Mason with Brian Elliott. They also drafted second-overall pick Nolan Patrick in the draft this year.

However, Philly.com’s Sam Donnellon writes that it will be very difficult to measure in which direction the team will go this year. Even with many of their veterans returning, there are too many unknowns, including the defense could have two or more rookie defensemen, both Patrick and top prospect Oskar Lindblom could make the team out of training camp and their goaltending still looks to be less than stellar. Some of those points could be positives as Lindblom and Patrick could have big first seasons or Elliott could have a comeback season.

The scribe writes that a lot of the teams success or lack thereof will fall on third-year coach Dave Hakstol, who must figure out how to fit all the pieces together while developing the team’s emerging youth.

  • In an interview with Artemi Panarin in a Russian newspaper, SB Nation’s Dave Melton got a translated copy, in which he states he was surprised to be traded from Chicago, but is eager to move on to Columbus and hopes for an even bigger role with the Blue Jackets. The fact that multiple players have said they would like to play alongside him including Alexander Wennberg, is what Panarin says is exciting about the move. “That’s why I see this trade as a springboard and not a pitfall.”
  • While likely meaningless, Denver Post’s Mike Chambers tweeted a picture of unrestricted free agent defenseman and Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher at Denver International Airport on Friday, carrying a bag with the Buffalo Sabres logo on it. Chambers suggests that his first visit was to Buffalo. The Sabres, Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils have been reported to have reached out to the free agent out of the University of Denver.

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