Confirmed with Link: Will Butcher signs with Devils

Status
Not open for further replies.

Wingman77

Registered User
Mar 16, 2010
20,251
765
Have to be happy with some of the strides he has taken in the right direction as well. Has occasionally shown weak points in some areas (nothing to be overly concerned about given his age and experience) and while some are still there to an extent here and there, he seems to be a quick learner and not make those mistakes again or as frequently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bleedred

Zajacs Bowl Cut

Lets Go Baby
Nov 6, 2005
71,816
44,242
PA
Send him to the power skater that worked with Larsson a few years back.

Overall, he has been very good. I wasn't even sure he was going to be in the NHL this year, so to be on pace for ~40 points as a rookie sure is something
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Blender

Call Me Al

Registered User
Aug 28, 2017
5,527
6,842
if he can pick up his foot speed it would unlock a huge amount of potential but i have very few complaints about his game and what he's shown so far
 

NJDevils17

Going Up?
Apr 21, 2013
4,208
2,595
Raleigh
Yeah, echoing what everyone has said. To reach the next step he has to improve his skating. Everyone knows this though. It was his big knock coming out of school. He just is an amazingly smart player that allows him to succeed.
 

Zippy316

aka Zippo
Aug 17, 2012
19,489
4,478
New Jersey
I honestly look at it as his ****ups aren't major ****ups or very noticeable ****ups.

He mitigates his f*** ups pretty well, but I wonder if that is because he is being sheltered and kept away from better players. Radulov's goal is a good example of this where likely any other Devils defenseman would've been quick enough to get in front of Radulov or strong enough to impede him a bit more.

He's still been great as a third pairing guy despite his shortcomings. I'm excited to see what he and Vatanen look like if they both get a bit quicker.
 

njdevil26

I hate avocados
Dec 13, 2006
13,770
5,077
Clark, NJ
Any time Butcher, Bratt, or Nico do something stupid, I just say to myself..... these are rookies... and they are pretty damn good for tiny rookies. They are only going to get better and better as they mature and get more experience.
 

OmNomNom

Taco is Love, Taco is Life
Mar 3, 2011
22,973
15,826
In the Church of Salmela
its pretty crazy, when he's out there, i'm not panicking like "oh god, butcher's out there" - mentally, i just treat him as a bonafide NHLer, which is really crazy, especially for a young defenseman
 
  • Like
Reactions: New Jersey

Blackjack

Registered User
Feb 13, 2003
18,134
14,920
keyjhboardd +bro]ke
Visit site
He mitigates his **** ups pretty well, but I wonder if that is because he is being sheltered and kept away from better players. Radulov's goal is a good example of this where likely any other Devils defenseman would've been quick enough to get in front of Radulov or strong enough to impede him a bit more.

He's still been great as a third pairing guy despite his shortcomings. I'm excited to see what he and Vatanen look like if they both get a bit quicker.

Yeah, I thought the same thing on the Radulov goal. It's not an easy play to make, but you hope that an NHL caliber defenseman can give you a little bit more than Butcher did. On the other hand, Radulov must be one of the best players in the league on a power move like that, so you do have to just give him some credit for being a beast of a forward.
 

FooteBahl

Took a big shitz for Nemec
Sponsor
Jul 19, 2005
5,487
7,514
Metuchen NJ
I would have been thrilled with 30 points as a rookie NEXT season. He's going to hit 40 this season. Incredible.
How do you guys view him...Is what we're seeing this year closer to his ceiling as a prospect or more of his floor? I think he's been great, but I don't know if he's someone that will see a ton of more growth. I hope to be wrong.
 

HenriquesJawLine

Registered User
Mar 6, 2009
4,873
2,675
His skating has only really seemed to stand out negatively when chasing down a loose puck which doesn't happen enough to be a negative anyway. He's positionally sound and can exit the d zone rush the puck up the ice. His biggest issue is the lack of physicality, if he is going to get more ice time and face tougher competition he needs to be stronger in the corners and fight for body position. That's where he gets into trouble.
 

tailfins

Registered User
Sponsor
Apr 20, 2005
2,586
1,441
I think his skating will hold him back from being elite, but I think there's no doubt that his defense will continue to improve. As Jim has posted before, D-men generally take 150 - 200 games to figure themselves out.

In terms of points, though, I feel less certain that we'll see significantly more over the next couple of years. I wish I knew how to look up Butcher's secondary assists. I think he was collecting an awful lot early on. Those seem highly luck dependent. Because of that, I think we could even see some regression from Butcher. However, I think we should see more goals coming from him as he learns how to use his shot better.

I'll be disappointed if he doesn't end up as a solid top 4 guy who can quarterback the PP.
 

Wingman77

Registered User
Mar 16, 2010
20,251
765
What he lacks in skating he tends to make up for in his calm, collective decision making and passing. Usually learns from his mistakes pretty quickly as well.

Another rookie on this team to be pleased with from this season.
 

MadDevil

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 10, 2007
33,585
23,074
Bismarck, ND
I think his skating will hold him back from being elite, but I think there's no doubt that his defense will continue to improve. As Jim has posted before, D-men generally take 150 - 200 games to figure themselves out.

In terms of points, though, I feel less certain that we'll see significantly more over the next couple of years. I wish I knew how to look up Butcher's secondary assists. I think he was collecting an awful lot early on. Those seem highly luck dependent. Because of that, I think we could even see some regression from Butcher. However, I think we should see more goals coming from him as he learns how to use his shot better.

I'll be disappointed if he doesn't end up as a solid top 4 guy who can quarterback the PP.

To answer your assist question, he has 17 primary and 17 secondary assists, and 7 of those secondaries came in just his first 6 games. I agree that he might not put up much more offense than he is now. But I also think he can become a better all-around defensemen and not just be a third pairing/PP guy like he is now. He's clearly a very smart player and I trust that kind of player to learn and improve their game over somebody who is all tools and no brains.
 

devsfan4life

Registered User
Aug 13, 2007
4,818
155
FL
As someone mentioned, he does get tired at times with all the digging and fighting in the corners, resulting in losing battles to bigger, stronger players. But that will happen. He's still very impressive. I've noticed he uses his body very well to shield the puck from oncoming forecheckers. Plus he has great vision and doesn't often make mistakes.

He knows his limitations, and most of the time uses the speed he has to his advantage by picking the right spots to slow up or turn it on. Plus his body positioning has been great. He rarely gets burned which is impressive for someone with slower feet.
 

Cheddabombs

Status Quo
Mar 13, 2012
24,653
31,225
I personally think concerns about his skating are overblown. Its mostly his skating/too end speed without the puck that's lacking. He's a good skater with the puck and has led many a rushes with some smooth skating from our zone through the neutral zone.

Of course it may hold him back to a degree but I don't think it's horrendous. That said I think his potential is still a good 2nd pairing defenseman/power play QB. I just don't see game breaking potential to be a first pairing guy. But that's not really a slight on him, it's hard to be a first pairing defenseman in this league.

If he hits 40 points this year that would be awesome. I honestly didn't even think he would play much this season given Hynes' tendency to lean on the veterans, plus I thought they would play Mueller more. But here we are, only missed 1 game so far.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->