While the process isn’t completely over, the Penguins are not among the “front runners” to land college free agent defenseman Will Butcher, a source confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sunday evening.
Butcher, who won the Hobey Baker Award at the University of Denver, became an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 16 after he failed to sign with the Colorado Avalanche, the team that drafted him in 2013.
A few minutes after that occurred, the Penguins expressed interest, although the sides did not meet face-to-face. Butcher’s camp is still finalizing its decision, but the source confirmed it does not appear as though the Penguins will make the cut of finalists.