Avalanche draft pick Will Butcher is riding a glorious wave of American amateur hockey. The University of Denver senior defenseman is captain of the NCAA Frozen Four-bound Pioneers — the favorites this week at the United Center in Chicago — and one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, to be presented Friday between the national semifinals (Thursday) and championship game (Saturday). He’s the only national player-of-the-year candidate to be playing in the Frozen Four.
But what happens next week and beyond for Butcher is cloudy, and could become distasteful to some along the Front Range, because the 2013 Avalanche fifth-round draft pick might not be wanted by the local NHL team. Or, he might not want to sign with Colorado. What’s set in stone is this: the Avs have until Aug. 15 to sign Butcher, or he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
A year ago, when Butcher was an alternate captain for DU at the Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla., the Avs had a team executive inform Butcher’s family adviser (agent) that the player would not be signed by the club. The message was believed to have originated with , the former Avs coach and front-office executive who was not interested in using a contract for a 5-foot-10, 180-pound defenseman. But Roy resigned in August and the Avalanche showed substantial due diligence in scouting Butcher at numerous games DU home games this season.
So there’s a good chance the Avalanche asks Butcher to sign his ELC with the team, but also a decent chance that Butcher declines to become a free agent. One thing is for certain: unlike former North Dakota forward Tyson Jost, who signed his ELC with the Avalanche before joining the team last week, Butcher won’t be playing for the Avs soon after his NCAA season comes to an end — if ever.
It’s both complicated and confusing as to why two players from the same college conference have such different situations with the same NHL team that drafted them. The short version: because of his age, Jost, 19, is eligible to play less than 10 NHL games this season and not burn the first year of his three-year ELC. But Butcher, 22, couldn’t play in the NHL without burning a year of his contract — which is why he won’t play for the Avs in the final week of the season. If nothing else, Butcher will sign with the Avs next week but agree to a amateur contract that allows him to finish the season with San Antonio of the American Hockey League; the Rampage’s final three games are April 12, 14 and 15 against the Texas Stars.
The more likely scenario is that Butcher takes his time in turning pro. His adviser is handling everything about his next move and Butcher doesn’t want anything to disrupt his focus on winning the national championship.
Masterton award. Avalanche forward is the Colorado chapter winner and national nominee for the Professional Hockey Writers Association’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Bourque, 35, made Colorado’s opening-night roster off a professional tryout contract and, despite missing 17 games with three different injuries, including a concussion, he is the Avalanche’s fifth-leading goal-scorer with 12 – usually playing a top-six role.
An undrafted free agent from the University of Wisconsin, Bourque reached 700 career NHL games on Jan. 17 against Chicago. Ironically, Bourque played his first NHL game in 2005 with the Blackhawks, who signed him after a four-year career at Wisconsin.
Three former Avs player were also named Masterton chapter winners and national nominees: (Los Angeles), Craig Anderson (Ottawa) and Radim Vrbata (Arizona). Iginla was in his third season with the Avalanche last month before being traded to the Kings.
Iginla’s trade has certainly panned out well for the player and the Kings. Iginla scored his sixth goal in 14 games with Los Angeles on Friday to reach 625 goals for his career, tying Joe Sakic for 15th-most all-time. Iginla, 39, wasn’t going to reach 625 if he remained in Colorado and working under GM Sakic. He had just eight goals in 61 games with the last-place Avs.
Eric Staal: Spotlight on ‘s center
When: The Avalanche plays Staal and the Wild on Sunday in St. Paul, Minn., and Thursday at the .
Whatap up: Staal scored goals in three consecutive games last week and entered the weekend with a team-most 27 — the most since he had 33 in 2010-11 with Carolina.
Background: Staal, 32, was selected second overall by Carolina in the 2003 draft and spent nearly 12 of his first 13 professional years with the Hurricanes before being traded to the late last season. Staal wasn’t effective in New York, scoring just three goals in 20 games, and finished the season with a career-low 13 goals in a combined 83 games with the Hurricanes and Rangers.
Chambers’ take: Given his statistical drop-off, plenty of people scratched their heads when Minnesota signed Staal to a three-year, $11.5 million contract last summer. His $3.5 million annual cap hit could become one of the league’s worst deals, they said, and Staal would just be another over-paid 30-something like Mikko Koivu ($6.75 million) and Jason Pominville ($5.6 million). To the contrary, Staal’s presence has benefited everyone on the team and the Wild might be the best team in franchise history.
