Montreal Canadiens: Possible Reasons Why A Pitch Hasn’t Been Made to Will Butcher Yet

It’s been a couple of days since Will Butcher has hit the open market, but word is the Montreal Canadiens have yet to reach out to him.

This year’s big college free agent has yet to decide on a team yet. Will Butcher has met so far with the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and the Vegas Golden Knights. Additionally, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins have voiced interest in the defenceman. There have been teams who have yet to reach out to Butcher, and apparently the Montreal Canadiens are one of them.

Montreal Canadiens beat reporter L.A. Lariviere tweeted out on Friday that the team has yet to reach out to the 22-year-old. Lariviere also added that Canadian teams have contacted Butcher, but the Habs weren’t one of them.

Now this isn’t to say that the team wont reach out to him at all. There is still time, and apparently Butcher wont make a final decision until next week. On the other hand, there could be a few reasons as to why Marc Bergevin and the rest of the Canadiens’ management have yet to make an offer.

Related Story: Chances of Signing Butcher

Reasons For No Contact

There’s no denying the skill that Butcher has as a defenceman, however it’s possible that the Canadiens don’t believe he could duplicate that in the NHL. Another reason, and one that makes the most sense, is in regards to Jakub Jerabek.

Montreal signed the defenceman from the KHL this offseason, and his chances of making the team are pretty high. If Butcher is signed in faith that he will be guaranteed a roster spot, that could push Jerabek out. The 26-year-old could be considered the team’s own version of Butcher.

Finally, the organization could’ve got word around the league or from Butcher’s agent himself on the interest from other teams. The team list will be narrowed down to 3-4 pretty soon. However, that would be disappointing if that was the case. An organization should always try to add talent, and if Bergevin hasn’t reached out yet, then it’s possible he doesn’t see a fit for him on the Canadiens.

That being said there is still time for contact with Butcher. And even if they never do contact him, the Montreal Canadiens have enough talent on the blue-line to excel this season.

Next: The Canadiens' Salary Cap

Are the Montreal Canadiens making a mistake in not contacting Butcher? Do you agree with the reasons for not reaching out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.