A Player Per Day: No. 34: Chris Butler

[Eleven]

According to wikipedia, family members include parents Martha and Doug and siblings Liz (24) and Mike (17).

[Kristian]

This one's a 3 as I'm completely indifferent to Butler.

 

I liked him last year, but it appears Lindy's starting to have an effect on him (he's starting to suck pretty bad), and unless he bounces back a lot better next season, I wouldn't mind seeing him go one bit.

 

Perhaps pairing him with someone other than Cpt. Cement Skates will help?

[LabattBlue]

I have concerns about Butler's NHL future. He came out of the University of Denver being touted as "NHL ready". Many thought he was very good in 08-09 and then his play slipped in 09-10. I don't think his play was all that good in either year. He seems to suffer from some major confidence issues and on top of that is the classic soft defenseman that DR loves to draft and that this team has way too many of. To be honest, he seems like Mike Wilson v2.0.

 

I like his size and he seems to be a good skater and you would think he has more upside than Sekera, but I'm not sure about either of them after this past season.

[Billfold100]

He was bad. He's also 23 and not the first young D to go through a sophmore slump. He's gonna get a shot with Hank and/or Toni gone and there is still enough upside with Butler to see how he reponds, IMO.

[ntjacks79]

He was bad. He's also 23 and not the first young D to go through a sophmore slump. He's gonna get a shot with Hank and/or Toni gone and there is still enough upside with Butler to see how he reponds, IMO.

Agree that he did not perform. I think he's a 3 because of his age. He's a 2 if he was 5 years older.

[That Aud Smell]

i'm the outlier with a 4. but i went with a 4 strictly on the "would like to keep." i think there's a 50%+ chance that the kid (guy) gets things turned around and turns into a solid d-man. i still remember this game reminding me of hajt's -- i'd like to see more of that.

[inkman]

I think he will be just fine. Having a ###### d pairing partner can go a long way towards ones own suckitude.

[spndnchz]

On the fence 3. "Would make a fair trade", no. He's learning this system, needs a bit of work but I think he's gettin' it. "Would pay a premium to resign" No.

[North Buffalo]

I have concerns about Butler's NHL future. He came out of the University of Denver being touted as "NHL ready". Many thought he was very good in 08-09 and then his play slipped in 09-10. I don't think his play was all that good in either year. He seems to suffer from some major confidence issues and on top of that is the classic soft defenseman that DR loves to draft and that this team has way too many of. To be honest, he seems like Mike Wilson v2.0.

 

I like his size and he seems to be a good skater and you would think he has more upside than Sekera, but I'm not sure about either of them after this past season.

 

The jury is still out on Butler but his confidence issues remind me too much of Demetri Kalinan. Moments of brilliance with a lot of wtf.

[macsabre]

I think there will be a big upside to Butler once he gets his head on straight and is paired with the right guy. He could be a punishing hitter over time. He's young and not a FA so I give him a 4.

[FearTheReaper]

I think there will be a big upside to Butler once he gets his head on straight and is paired with the right guy. He could be a punishing hitter over time.

 

I agree, there is much potential within Butler. He just needs some time to dig into it. I think if he is placed on the 3rd pair for awhile, it will give him some confidence.

[LabattBlue]

He could be a punishing hitter over time.

He has shown no signs of becoming a physical presence let alone a "punishing hitter". Most players do not become more physical as their NHL careers progress, they become less physical. Gaustad & Mair are two great examples of this.

 

Butler is not going to turn into the next Dion Phaneuf(from a physical perspective) and IMO for those hoping, neither is Myers.

[TheChimp]

I see Butler plateauing much like Sekera seems to have, at a borderline 6th d-man. 3

[rbochan]

Sophomore slump, one can only hope. He's superb at fishing pucks out of his own net.

[bunomatic]

Butler is another classic example of 'filler' that Regier likes to tout as ready to step in and be a big part of this team.The problem is that we're all still waiting.Everythings about the future with this regime and it's all about selling tickets to a fanbase thats desperate for a winner.There are far too many players on this roster that this management sees far more value in then the other 29 g.m.s see.I'll call them vanilla and thats exactly what Butler is.He'll only ever be an average player.The only way this guy will stand out from the crowd is on highlights of his gaffs.

[SabresneedaCup]

i voted 4. i think he has some talent and is worth keeping around.