The Boston Bruins knew that they would have a greatly changed defence going into this season. Losing two staple players on your blue line in free agency tends to do that. Over the last few weeks, injuries have crippled Boston’s defensive group. Brandon Carlo missed significant time already and appears to be headed back to the injury report. Jarred Tinordi still has yet to return to the lineup after a big hit from Brandon Tanev. A possible solution to their problems on defence lies with the New Jersey Devils in an underutilized Will Butcher.
Will Butcher Could Fill the Gaps for Boston
The New Jersey Devils have a new coach this season in Lindy Ruff. His plan for the team has not used defenceman Will Butcher much. In fact, Butcher has only appeared in eight games so far this season. Ruff’s usage of Butcher has shown the league that the team simply does not value the 26-year-old defenceman. Will Butcher’s talents are wasted with the Devils and a change of scenery could benefit him.
Butcher’s Skill Set
Will Butcher is a talented offensive defenseman. The former fifth-round draft pick broke into the NHL in the 2017-18 season. As a rookie, he tallied 44 points in 81 games. While he has yet to reach that mark again, he has still been a capable player. Since his sophomore campaign, he has 54 points in 142 games. With a scoring rate of 0.38 points per game over the last three years, he could be worth a second pairing role on many NHL teams.
Size has proven to be a massive concern for NHL scouts. Butcher’s 5’10” frame does not lend him any favours in that department. Even with the success of players who share his stature (i.e. Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Torey Krug) front offices will see that and jot it down as their first issue. Butcher has still been successful in the defensive zone despite his lack of size. Butcher has a career relative Corsi percentage of 4.6. That is an incredible number to have for a single season and Butcher has posted that over four. When put on the right team, Butcher is a talented defenceman who deserves ice time. Ruff has not given him a chance.
What Boston Has Already Done
In order to fix the gaping hole left behind by Torey Krug, Boston has looked to Matt Grzelcyk. He has been in charge of quarterbacking the powerplay and has assumed top pair duties alongside Charlie McAvoy. Grzelcyk has played well in that role with 11 points in 20 games played this year. He has been one of Boston’s best players in the last few weeks. While he has put on solid performances in that role, injuries have kept him out of the lineup. If Boston can acquire a defenceman with similar skills, it could give them greater flexibility with the lineup.
Value for Will Butcher
In a normal year, people would take a look at Will Butcher’s stats with New Jersey and think he wouldn’t be cheap. He is a capable offensive blueliner who is signed through the end of next season. But that has all changed. The new coaching staff has not played Butcher much this year. His eight games played display that. He has not had injury problems this season. If the team is not going to put him in the lineup consistently, they would surely like to rid themselves of his $3.7 million contract.
Now for Boston to make this trade work, they have to make room for his salary. They have around $1.8 million remaining until they reach the salary cap. If this deal was going to work one for one, Butcher may be worth a middle to late-round pick because of how little New Jersey values him. The Devils would probably take a fourth or fifth-round pick. If New Jersey has to retain salary in this deal, they might ask for a third. Additionally, Boston could opt to send a player and pick back to New Jersey to help offset the cost and keep the value of the draft pick low. A borderline roster player like Anton Blidh could be involved in a trade.
Why This Trade Needs to Happen
Boston is in desperate need of defensive depth. All but three players of the defensive core could be a healthy scratch on any night and no one would blink an eye. They need regular starters. Will Butcher brings that to the lineup. Given a chance to show he can fill a hole in the lineup, Boston could find themselves with a great acquisition for minimal cost. Butcher is exactly the kind of player Don Sweeney looks for as well. The Bruins front office loves to find under-the-radar players who do what they need rather than go after big names. Don’t be surprised to see Sweeney pursue Butcher aggressively at the trade deadline this year.
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