The Ottawa Senators buy out Bobby Butler. Details and analysis after the jump.
It's funny how summers work in the NHL...
For weeks on end it looks like a team is going to make a big splash but nothing actually happens. Then, seemingly out of the blue, players resign, sign and get traded all at once.
This just goes to show you that you can't believe all the rumors you read at certain hockey rumor websites or on twitter.
On that note let's get started:
The Ottawa Senators have bought out the remaining year of F Bobby Butler's contract.
Butler might not be a household name in the NHL but his buyout is significant. While attending University of New Hampshire, Butler played four seasons of standout hockey. He finished his senior year at UNH by being named co-captain and finishing second among all NCAA Division 1 players in goal scoring (2009-2010) with 29 goals.
Butler's impressive senior year did not go unnoticed. He earned a nomination for the Hobey Baker award as the top collegiate hockey player in the U.S.
Coming out of UNH, Butler was one of, if not the, most sought after college free agents. The Ottawa Senators signed Butler to a two year contract on March 29th, 2010 winning the Butler sweepstakes.
Butler made an immediate impact in 2010-2011 when he got his chance to play with Jason Spezza. In 36 games played with Ottawa he scored 10 goals and 11 assists; good for 21 points.
At that rate of production, over an 82 game season his point totals would have been 22 goals and 25 assists for a total of 47 points. Unfortunately for Butler, he did not live up to expectations in his sophomore season and was often in the dog house with Coach MacLean. While he may have played more games, he was not playing with the same caliber line mates as he was often playing on the fourth line.
Due to inferior line mates, decreased time on ice and a coach who didn't have faith in him, Butler only scored 6 goals and 10 assists in 56 games played. As a fan of the Senators, what boggles my mind is how the organization gave up on a player who looked promising so soon. This is a team that has been preaching the words "rebuild", "patience" and "youth" yet they give up on a young player who has an above average shot and decent speed.
What is even more puzzling is that not one team took a chance on him.
In my opinion, this move doesn't add up. A team that wants a competitive training camp between young players that is already looking for top six help happens to buy out a potential top six forward? Something isn't right which leads me to believe this move goes beyond his playing abilities.
Any Sens fans have theories as to why the organization gave up on Butler so soon? Share your theories in the comment section!
The Philadelphia Flyers resign Jakub Voracek to a 4 year, $17 million contract:
I really like this move by the Flyers. Voracek is a great offensive player who is not even in his prime yet. He is incredibly young at 22 years of age but has already produced well offensively. In his lone season with the Flyers he set a career high in goals (18) and finished just a single point short of his career best (scored 49 points in 2011-2012, best was 50 during 2009-2010).
There really isn't anything bad you can say about this deal. It keeps a young player part of the team for another four years; Voracek will be 26 when the deal expires. In this time the Flyers will have plenty of opportunity to see if he is a legitimate top line player. If they develop him well and he flourishes in that role then they will obviously try to extend his deal.
If he peaks at being a fringe top line player who is better suited for the second line, his contract is an extremely fair value for that kind of player as well. The Flyers did not overpay and there is also still room for Voracek to earn a raise at the end of the deal.
Not only does this deal give the Flyers flexibility but also a quality player that could potentially be used as a trade asset once players like Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Matt Read are ready for expanded roles.
This will be an important year for the young Czech born player and he will be given every chance to succeed. With Jaromir Jagr (Dallas) and James Van Riemsdyk (Toronto) both leaving Philadelphia this summer, Voracek will likely get more ice time and be counted on to score more as well. In my opinion, a 50+ point season ( 20+ goals and 30+ assists) does not seem out of reach for him. All in all, I think this was a great move by the Flyers.
The Carolina Hurricanes sign UFA F Alexander Semin to a 1 year, $7 million contract:
Low risk, high reward. That is the kind of move Carolina GM Jim Rutherford has made for his franchise.
It is very rare that we see one (let alone two) good signings in one day. Normally some general manager makes a boneheaded decision that you just know will come back to bite them. That day, is not today.
By signing a short one year deal, Semin gets a chance to prove himself to the Hurricanes. Think of it as a year long audition or try out. If he plays well, works hard and fits in well with the team then you can be assured that Rutherford will be reaching out to Semin and his agent to extend him at the end of this season.
If Semin does not fit in, his play falters or he doesn't work hard enough then the only thing the Canes lose out on is some cash. Normally this would be a significant issue to a team that has stayed relatively close to the salary cap floor but this off season Rutherford was given the green light by Hurricanes ownership to spend more and make some big ticket acquisitions (see Staal, Jordan).
This move adds a quality point producer to Carolina's lineup and sets them up to have one of the top lines in the NHL (J. Staal, E. Staal and Semin).
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