This just in, the Minnesota Wild have acquired defenseman Will Butcher from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Maxim Cajkovic.
Check it out:
Butcher has played the season with the Penguins' AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, putting up three goals and seven points in 14 games. He hasn't played an NHL game since the 2021-22 season when he was with the Buffalo Sabres. The 29 year old defenseman came into the NHL HOT back in 2017-18 when he put up five goals and 44 points in 81 games with the New Jersey Devils.
After a few up and down seasons with the Devils, Butcher's stock drop precipitously, to the point where now he looks to be a journeyman AHLer.
Read below for the Wild's press release announcement on today's transaction:
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired defenseman Will Butcher from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Maxim Cajkovic.
Butcher, 29 (1/6/95), has recorded seven points (3-4=7) in 14 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound native of Sun Prairie, Wisc., signed a one-year, two-way contract with Pittsburgh on July 3, 2023. He has collected 114 points (16-98=114) in 275 career NHL games with New Jersey (2017-21) and Buffalo (2021-22). Butcher has also tallied 50 points (9-41=50) in 79 career AHL games with Texas (2022-23) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He played four seasons at the University of Denver and totaled 103 points (28-75=103) in 158 games (2013-17) and was the recipient of the 2017 Hobey Baker Award. Butcher also spent two seasons playing for the United States National Development Team (2011-13). He was originally selected by Colorado in the fifth round (123rd) of the 2013 NHL Draft.
Butcher will report to the Iowa Wild.
Cajkovic, 23 (1/3/01), tallied three points (1-2=3) in five games with the Iowa Wild and collected 18 points (12-6=18) in 20 games with the Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL this season. Minnesota acquired Cajkovic and Patrick Maroon in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on July 2, 2023.
