Buffalo Sabres must trade away Will Butcher

Defenseman Will Butcher has been a perennial bust for the Buffalo Sabres this season.

The Buffalo Sabres took a flyer on Will Butcher when they traded for the defenseman on July 28th, 2021. Butcher, who saw his role in New Jersey decline with each passing season, appeared in just 31 contests with the Sabres.

Since the Sabres are looking to get younger on defense, they can still salvage something out of Butcher if they ship him to a contender looking to fill up their lower lines. No, he won’t warrant much. But if the Sabres can land a mid-rounder or a couple of prospects for Butcher, then it’s better than letting him walk after this season.

Buffalo Sabres can still get something for Will Butcher

Teams have called Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams about Butcher, so the interest is there. Besides Butcher, Adams has also received inquiries regarding Robert Hagg, Mark Pysyk, and Colin Miller.

And since none of the above fall into the Sabres long-term plans, why not host a fire sale? But why is Butcher the subject of this article? He has the largest contract of any defenseman on the team. So if the Sabres don’t try to move and instead let him walk, they paid the guy $4.1 million for nothing but a 2022 fifth-round pick that also came in the trade with New Jersey.

Ideally, Adams works the phones with someone like the New York Rangers, who have such a talent gap between their upper and lower lines that they’d welcome someone like Butcher. Anyone looking to fill their lower lines by taking a flyer on a talented underachiever that Butcher has become could give the Sabres more in return.

No, they won’t get a ransom from trading Butcher. But they will get more than the fifth-rounder that came with him in July’s trade. Best case scenario? The Sabres get a mid-round pick and prospects to fill their AHL lines.

(Contract information provided by Spot Trac)