Chris Butler Discussion: Sign, or Walk?

[Imported_Aussie]

IMO the Flames need Butler or a comparable UFA defenceman to bridge the gap until the other D prospects are ready to make the jump. O'Brien is not worth playing as a veteran guy, and Seiloff will need time to recover in the AHL, so what they need next year is a 5-7 defenceman who can step in for injuries, cover Wotherspoon if he runs into a rough patch, etc.

The market for UFA/RFA defencemen is not that deep, and unless this is covered by a trade, moving out a forward for a defenceman, Butler may well be seen as "the devil we know"

[codynw]

Calgary has 3 players in the top 10 for blocked shots.. wow.

What's even more surprising is that Bouma isn't one of those 3.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by ramizle

Sign. 2nd in shots blocked in the league. #5-#7 defenseman and he's effective.



It's crazy I didn't realize how much of a shot blocking team we have become compared to the rest of the league.

More shots taken against = more shots blocked.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by codynw

Calgary has 3 players in the top 10 for blocked shots.. wow.

What's even more surprising is that Bouma isn't one of those 3.

I think he is number one in forwards though... Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[3rd line Grinder]

Just wondering, what is Smith's contract situation? is he a UFA this year?

[Five-hole]

Sign him (provided the price is reasonable, which it should be). He's been very good in the 5/6 role this season.

[Scoutski]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

I think he is number one in forwards though... Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

He's third, and surprisingly Backlund is tied at 11th, nice.

[Southside]

Another year at his current 1.7 or less. Maybe 2 years at a discount like 1.5 per or less. Make it an easy contract to move, or move on.

[codynw]

How does Bouma have so few? Seems like he's blocking shots every shift. Some penalty kills he blocks like 5 in a row.

[PeteMoss]

If they can find a way to make Wideman disappear I would resign him. you're going to get injuries and you don't want SOB or Breen having to play if you can avoid it.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

More shots taken against = more shots blocked.

We're not bad at that either actually

[edslunch]

I would wait until after the draft. If by some miracle we snag Ekblad then let Butler walk. Otherwise if there are better UFAs available then go for them otherwise resign him. I'd have no problem with the latter scenario

[Red Ice Player]

Sign him. Calgary is very thin in defensive prospects. Seiloff has played about one half of a season in the the last two years. He'll need a full year in Abbotsford at least. He shouldn't even be in the conversation until then. Culkin and Kulak won't be ready. Wotherspoon looks great but he is only a first year pro who should be groomed in the top pairing on the farm. Can Billins or Smith take Butler's job? Haven't seen that yet. SOB is inferior to Butler. Butler is a known quantity. Let the kids take his job when they have shown they are better. That's how a proper rebuild works.

[Scoutski]

Rather see him kept around, he's really changed into a much better player while being here and is serviceable in the NHL, when the time comes that someone is clearly ready to step in they can have his spot, but let's also be sure we've got depth to cover that.

[SuperMatt18]

United posted this in another thread but this fits here too.

If you don't resign Butler who takes his defensive zone starts? Do you really want to put Russell, Wideman, or Wotherspoon in that situation or would you rather continue to feed them better offensive minutes.

Or how about his team leading 2:45 SH TOI per game? Who do you want to give that SH time to on our roster?

If you think there is an upgrade available via trade or UFA then you make that deal, but you don't open up his spot to a rookie with nobody else on the roster ready to take his defensive minutes.

[Tacoman]

Easily sign. You need depth, especially with our shot blocking style of play. Will not be uncommon to see 1-3 dmen injured at most times of the season so you need depth guys like Butler. He's been more than adequate for the last 30 games.

[Anduril]

Pretty easy. Sign him for two years and keep him as a bottom pairing player until the younger players show over a longer period of time that they can play without being heavily sheltered.

Once that happens, trade him for more assets.

[Phanuthier]

Touched on this, but the graph above, the turnaround of Butler's game after he didn't have to play with SOB, and how well Tyler Wotherspoon has played really showed how much SOB sucked. Can't believe we went out to get this guy....

[Parallex]

Walk. Oh please let him walk. I don't even want him as the #7 guy... the team can do better be it internally or in free agency or in trade. Hell we might be able to do better via the waiver wire.

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by 3rd line Grinder

Just wondering, what is Smith's contract situation? is he a UFA this year?

Yea, he's a UFA this summer.