There's no way of knowing whether Will Butcher will turn out to be a valuable NHL defensemen, and I suppose anything is possible, but it sure doesn't look like it will happen with the Avalanche.

Butcher, the Hobey Baker Award-winning defenseman who helped the University of Denver win the 2017 NCAA national championship, was to become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday (Aug. 15) at 10 p.m. MT.

The Avalanche, who selected Butcher in the fifth round (No. 123) in 2013, had four years to sign him without competition from others.

Butcher, 22, is on the smallish size at 5-feet-10 and 186 pounds, but the native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, had a terrific four-year career with the Pioneers. He capped it off his senior year as team captain.

Butcher had 37 points (seven goals, 30 assists) in 43 games for DU, which defeated Minnesota Duluth 3-2 at the United Center in April for its eighth national championship. The Pioneers finished 33-7-4.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic told the Denver Post during the tournament that he wanted to sign Butcher, who planned to consider all his options.

"As soon as they’re done, he’ll have a contract offer,” Sakic said at the time. “We hope to sign him. He’s had a tremendous year. Since the moment we drafted him, four years in college, he’s gotten better every year and he’s obviously hot, the Hobey Baker winner, and hopefully we can sign him and have him be part of the organization.”

The Avalanche reportedly informed Butcher near the end of his junior season that they weren't interested in signing him, a position that was believed to be held by then-coach and vice president Patrick Roy, who abruptly quit last August.

Butcher did meet with Sakic in the spring.

"He came in and gave me his whole spiel about changes in the program, going younger and everything like that," Butcher told the paper. "I told him I’d get back in touch with him. I’m weighing all my options right now. I want to take my time. I don’t have anything to rush into right now. I’m not going to play anywhere right now. So I might as well take my time.”

There will be plenty of suitors for his services.



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