College free agent Will Butcher can now freely sign with any NHL team, is it possible that he chooses the Montreal Canadiens as his home?
It’s finally the day where Will Butcher is free to choose where he wants to play. Speculations as to where he will play have been flying around social media for the last few days. Montreal Canadiens fans are hopeful that he signs with them despite rumours that other teams are in the running.
The Denver Post put out an article stating that the 22-year-old will be meeting with three teams on Wednesday. The teams being the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Additionally, the word is that the Chicago Blackhawks are also at the forefront in signing him. The possibility of Butcher signing with the Canadiens seems pretty low, but they may not be as low as we think.
Jimmy Murphy tweeted this out Tuesday:
Just got a text from an NHL exec after my #WillButcher tweets: "#Habs are more than a wild card!"
— MurphysLaw74 (@MurphysLaw74) August 15, 2017
If (emphasis on if) this are true, then the Habs may have a chance at this. It’ll be a difficult bidding war for Butcher. Since he can only sign an entry-level-contract, organizations are mostly going to be selling him on the team, management, and the opportunity.
The Habs are a playoff team and have goals to challenge for a Stanley Cup. It’s also an attractive fact to know that you’ll have Carey Price as your number one center.
Selling Opportunity
The Montreal Canadiens are considerably weaker on the left-side in terms of defencemen. Some fans on Twitter would have Butcher possibly be on the top pair along with Shea Weber. Not sure if that is possible or even the right move should he sign.
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Yes, NCAA players are more mature mentally and physically and therefore should be able to handle the pressures of the NHL. However, it is a different level of competition. There’s no way to guarantee that he can duplicate his point totals in the NHL.
That being said, the belief among many analysts is that Butcher can. It wouldn’t be ideal to start him on the top pairing right away, but he could definitely work his way up to that if he’s deserving of the promotion.
There hasn’t been any news of the Canadiens being in on Butcher, and it’s very possible that they don’t even try to sign him. However, there’s always a chance Marc Bergevin changes his mind and gives his camp a call. It’s never a bad idea to try to acquire new talent to an organization. Especially if they’re for free.
Next: Setting Expectations for Phillip Danault
Do the Montreal Canadiens have a chance at signing Butcher? Let us know your thoughts down below!