Butler - You Knew This Was Coming

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by FlamesPuck12

Must feel nice from your throne telling people on a message board to stop crying.

Yep. Feels great.

[puckluck2]

I'll be the CP hipster and say I hated Butler before it was cool to hate Butler.

He is absolutely, without a doubt, the worst defensemen I have seen in quite some time.

Where are all the people who said he was better than Regehr?

[Calgary4LIfe]

Butler gets frazzled too easily, and ends up making horrible first passes. It really starts to stand out now with the quality of the top 4 defencemen that pass. Both Butler and O'Brien have the hardest time making that good first pass.

What are Butler's strengths? He doesn't really have any. He isn't physical, he isn't offensive, he isn't a defensive stalwart, he isn't a good puck mover. He isn't 'horrible' usually, but it seems it is often easy to get him to lose his composure.

Smith needs to be in for him. I thought Smith played decently as a top 4 defencemen when he had to (decently for a guy in over his head). He maintains his composure and is really good at either skating away with the puck (like Brodie and Russel do a lot of the time) or he makes a really good first pass.

O'Brien - I still haven't seen too much value in him other than how vocal he is at times. Pretty good communicator out there. He hasn't been very physical or punishing (I think both Sarich and Regehr were way more punishing out there). He has trouble making that first pass sometimes too, and he gets caught out of position.

Would love to see Smith get rotated in for Butler, and then Breen rotated in for O'Brien once Smith is settled a bit. I have no idea what to expect from Breen - he looks great in the AHL, but the NHL is a different monster. Optimistic he is up for it, though I am sure he will probably have a few tough first games.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Kyuss sucks.

You can listen to your Britney Spears and Jonas Brothers all you want.

[DuckSauce]

Please, please, please get rid of this guy. At least TRY someone else....You would think that there is SOMETHING that the coaches/management see in him to keep letting him play but if every single person who watches flames games can recognize that he has no place in the NHL then he has no place in the NHL..

[DOOM]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

You can listen to your Britney Spears and Jonas Brothers all you want.

Nah, id just rather not listen to boring 80s-90s rock.

[ComixZone]

I feel bad for Butler. It's a rotten time when you suck at your job.

All he can do is try his best and try to improve game in and game out.

.....

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by DOOM

Nah, id just rather not listen to boring 80s-90s rock.

Judging your other posts, it seems like you probably sit in your mothers basement with vaseline and tissues. What you think of others music taste is laughable.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by JoelOtto29

all i remember is that the second LA pick was conditional.

anyhow. what a crazy trade:

CGY: Chris Butler, Paul Byron, $3 million big ones!
BUF: Regehr, 2nd round pick 2012

Fixed

[Ulrith]

Originally Posted by DuckSauce

Please, please, please get rid of this guy. At least TRY someone else....You would think that there is SOMETHING that the coaches/management see in him to keep letting him play but if every single person who watches flames games can recognize that he has no place in the NHL then he has no place in the NHL..

My thoughts exactly...

I get that he was gifted ice time because of the Regehr trade, but this year with young guys finally stepping up and playing well, I just don't understand why this plug is still around?

[djsFlames]

I'm sick of watching one or two guys letting down a strong body of work from the rest of the team. And the fact that those culprits consistently includes Butler. Why must we feel obligated to keep dressing him and giving him minutes? It's honestly mind-boggling. There are kids with 0 NHL games under their belt that could probably come in and do at least as well as he's doing. If this is truly a meritocracy, he should have been out a while back. At least rotated out once already.

Smith should be dressing Saturday. Butler hasn't done anything to make up for his major mistakes. At least Stemp redeemed himself to some extent.

[Traditional_Ale]

I think the reason management keeps giving him so many chances is that in fact he has every tool in the toolbox to be an effective NHL defenseman.

The problem is that he is dumb as f***.

Here's hoping he has enough neuroplasisity (sp?) that Hartley can help.

[doctajones428]

I've been a Butler defender this whole time but after tonight? Jeesh, brutal , brutal night from him

[Gary83]

2nd rounder was Jake McCabe.

I've never been happy with Butler but also never hated him either. Tonight was just a bad, bad game from him.

[Caged Great]

Last year, I said on one of the podcasts I believe that if they let him go and signed any UFA D-man for comparable $, it would be an improvement. Thus far he hasn't made a case against what I said at all. Honestly, I think I would take any of Breen, Cundari, Billins, Wotherspoon or Sieloff just to see what they have. If they screw up at the nhl level, it's not like they are going to be doing any worse than Butler has, except they might actually learn from their mistakes.

I don't know how long Butler has left in the NHL if he keeps this level of play up.

[Itse]

It's actually sort of amazing that we haven't seen even a hint of improvement in the 100+ games that he's been here.

It's sad really, since he's not technically that bad; skates fine, decent shot, blocks shots, technically can pass etc. But he is just way too mistake prone.

273 games, 26 years old, starting his sixth season in the NHL. This guy has been given every chance, and is playing himself out of the 3rd pairing of one of the cheapest teams in the league. The fat lady is singing loud and clear.

I can't wait to see the icetime go to someone who might actually be in our future plans. Or Smith. It's a crime Butler gets a whole million more in salary than Smith.

[Caged Great]

I can understand rolling the dice with Butler, it's the same thing as acquiring Russell. Sometimes it clicks (As it seems thus far with Russell) and some times it does not. When it doesn't click though, you cut your loses and move on.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

I can understand rolling the dice with Butler, it's the same thing as acquiring Russell. Sometimes it clicks (As it seems thus far with Russell) and some times it does not. When it doesn't click though, you cut your loses and move on.

Being that this is a pro sports franchise with fans who obsess and critique from the jump (guilty), where do you draw the line and say it isn't working?

I was at worked all night but a coworker who was watching the game all night and is (was) a huge Butler excuse-maker streamed the game for us whenever possible and it's fairly safe to say even he has run out of kind words.

Fun team to watch, love the "no passengers" philosophy, all I want from this season is that mantra to stick

[Erick Estrada]

IMO last night's game was the Flames best defensive effort all season and even the Butler/O'Brien pairing was solid as the Ducks really got few scoring chances after the first period. However that Butler giveaway was brutal but it was matched by an equally poor giveaway by Brodie. I get that the mob mentality regarding Butler but Brodie hasn't exactly been great this season. Those two giveaways spoiled an otherwise good night by the defense.

[Ashasx]

I think whoever replaces him will do just as poorly.

On a team like this, you're going to have players over their heads. Butler is the guy right now, but we all know that it'll be somebody else once he's gone.