We might have another Jimmy Vesey situation on our hands.
Colorado Avalanche draft pick Will Butcher - who is coming off a Hobey Baker win as the best player in NCAA hockey and a Frozen Four victory with the Denver Pioneers - is in no rush to sign his entry-level contract, he told Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.
"I told him (Joe Sakic) I didn’t want an offer yet," Butcher, who met with Sakic on Tuesday, said. "I wanted to sit with him, talk with him about my year, what they’re thinking, what their philosophy is going to be. My parents are coming in this weekend for the banquet, and I want to talk to my parents before they offer me anything."
The news comes after Sakic told the Denver Post that he wanted to present Butcher with a contract after the Frozen Four tournament wrapped up.
Butcher is hoping to keep his options open and for now just wants to gather information from the Avalanche.
"He (Sakic) came in and gave me his whole spiel about changes in the program, going younger and everything like that. I told him I’d get back in touch with him," Butcher said. "I’m weighing all my options right now. I want to take my time. I don’t have anything to rush into right now. I’m not going to play anywhere right now. So I might as well take my time."
Last season, Predators draft pick Vesey elected to not sign in Nashville and instead become a free agent. He ultimately agreed to a deal with the New York Rangers - also upon winning the Hobey Baker Award.
The Avalanche have until Aug. 15 to sign Butcher to a contract before he hits free agency.
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