Will Butcher, College Hockey's Top Player, Is NHL Free Agent After Not Signing With Avalanche

Defenseman Will Butcher is attracting plenty of interest on his first day as an NHL free agent since college hockey's top player turned down an opportunity to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.

Defenseman Will Butcher is attracting plenty of interest on his first day as an NHL free agent since college hockey's top player turned down an opportunity to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.

The former University of Denver player had discussions with five teams on Wednesday, the player's agent Stephen Bartlett wrote in a text to The Associated Press. And, Bartlett added, he's scheduled to have talks with more teams over the next couple of days.

Bartlett wouldn't reveal the entire list of teams, but did confirm he's had discussions with the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and expansion Vegas Golden Knights. The three teams were first mentioned in a report published by The Denver Post.

NHL's All Time Best and Worst College Free Agents

Best: Adam Oates

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A brilliantly creative playmaker, Oates was originally signed by Detroit in 1985 and went on to become the set-up man who keyed Brett Hull to three consecutive seasons of 70-plus goals in St. Louis. Oates then moved on to Boston, where he helped Cam Neely to three years as a 50-goal man. He ranks seventh on the NHL's all-time assist list with 1,079.

Worst: Drew Leblanc

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The 2013 Hobey Baker Award winner arrived in Chicago with a reputation as an elite playmaker but he lasted just two games with the Blackhawks before being relegated to the AHL. Leblanc spent two undistinguished seasons in Rockford before moving on to the German League.

Best: Blake Wheeler

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Using the same clause that allowed Jimmy Vesey to become a UFA out of college, Wheeler spurned the Phoenix Coyotes to sign with the Boston Bruins in 2008. Traded to the Atlanta Thrashers in 2011, he's since matured into an outstanding leader and a top scorer with the franchise since its relocation to Winnipeg.

Worst: Jarod Palmer

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A star forward at Miami of Ohio, Palmer was rated the top college free agent of 2010 by Red Line Report. Lingering injuries and a lack of finish conspired against him, limiting him to just six games and one goal in the NHL before he retired in 2013.

Best: Ed Belfour

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Expectations were high for Belfour, who signed as a free agent after leading North Dakota to a national championship 1987. He did not disappoint. The Eagle spent seven seasons in Chicago, picking up a pair of Vezina trophies before moving on to Dallas where he won the Stanley Cup in 1999. He won 484 games during his career, ranking third on the all-time list, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Worst: Matt Gilroy

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Gilroy seemed to be the complete package when he signed out of Boston University. At 6' 2", 200 pounds, he was a smooth-skating, puck-moving defender and a Hobey Baker winner, prompting the Blueshirts to sign the 24-year-old to a lucrative two-year, $3.5 million deal. He went on to play 225 games for four different NHL clubs, but never managed to move beyond the third pair. Out of NHL options, he eventually shuffled off to the KHL.

Best: Joe Mullen

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The Boston College star was a victim of the NHL's anti-American bias at the draft but made an immediate impact as a free agent, scoring 25 goals in his rookie season of 1981-82. He went on to become the first American to score 500 goals and 1,000 points in the NHL, blazing a trail for the next generation of U.S.-born stars.

Worst: Stephane Da Costa

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The French-born center led the Merrimack Warriors in each of his first two college seasons, inspiring the Ottawa Senators to outbid 20 teams sign the top-rated free agent to a two-year deal. But Da Costa's puck skills and creativity failed to impress over four seasons and 47 games in the NHL, so he moved on to the KHL where he had some success.

Best: Dan Boyle

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The NHL valued size over skill when Boyle was starring at Miami of Ohio, but the Panthers liked his numbers (94 points in 77 games during his junior/senior seasons) and gave him a chance in the minors. He eventually was moved to Tampa Bay where he became a two-time All-Star and a 2004 Stanley Cup winner.

Worst: Ray Staszak, Chris Cichocki, Dale Krentz

Starving for talent, the Red Wings went on an epic college free agent shopping spree in the summer of 1985, highlighted by the signing of Staszak to a four-year, $1.4 million deal, the richest rookie contract in NHL history. He went on to play just four NHL games before being sent down, getting injured and calling it quits, assuring himself a place in hockey history as the greatest UFA bust of all time. Cichocki and Krentz hardly fared better, lasting just 68 and 30 games, respectively.

The Avalanche selected Butcher in the fifth round of the 2013 draft and had until Tuesday to sign the Hobey Baker Award winner, who led Denver to a national championship in April.

Butcher's decision will come down to which team he considers the best fit rather than contract terms. Teams are restricted to signing him to a two-year contract with a maximum annual salary of $925,000.

In a statement released Wednesday by the Avalanche, the team said it made Butcher a maximum offer in April. ''He wanted to test the market and that is his right and decision,'' the Avalanche said.

The 22-year-old from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, capped his senior season at Denver with seven goals and a team-high 30 assists in 43 games and became just the seventh defenseman to win college hockey's top honor. Overall, he had 28 goals and 75 assists for 103 points in 158 games with the Pioneers.

Vegas Golden Knights Concierge: Deryk Engelland Helping Teammates Adjust To New City

Butcher becomes the second consecutive Hobey Baker winner to pursue free agency after completing his college career.

Last summer, Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey turned down contract offers from Nashville and Buffalo before signing with the New York Rangers , for whom he had 16 goals and 27 points in 80 games. Nashville drafted Vesey and traded his rights to the Sabres once it became clear he wasn't going to sign with the Predators.

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