University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery spoke with NHL free agent Will Butcher on Thursday after a hectic couple days of teams reaching out to the reigning Hobey Baker winner.

Montgomery said Butcher, who played four seasons at Denver, won't rush anything while taking time to digest his NHL options.

"I think he would want to get it done in the next week or 10 days," Montgomery told NJ Advance Media. "But he wants to be able to go visit people, sit down, meet face-to-face with whoever he selects in that group."

Butcher became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday after the Denver graduate did not sign with the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted Butcher in 2013.

The Devils are among several teams that reached out to Butcher, and they could be one of the teams the defenseman considers.

"I think the Devils are high on that list," Montgomery said. "I don't know for sure, but from what I've been hearing, they're a team that's definitely in that mix."

Butcher stayed in Denver to train during the offseason, so Montgomery has had some interaction with the blue liner since Denver's NCAA title win in April.

Montgomery has given Butcher some general advice throughout the offseason in terms of making the right decision for his future.

"We've talked more about what best suits him in terms of style of play," Montgomery said. "The coaches in terms of different teams that are trying to recruit him, and just the opportunity to be part of a really good organization and be able to play in the NHL, whether that's this year or in the near future. We really haven't talked about what entails for the next two or three years for him. It's more about staying in the now, and if he does the work, the future will take care of itself.

Few people know Butcher's game better than Montgomery, who has seen the defenseman grow on and off the ice during the past four years at Denver.

During his time in college, Montgomery saw Butcher become a more physical, aggressive defenseman while fine-tuning and improving his high-end offensive skills.

"Our best player was our hardest worker and also our most selfless player. He pushed others to reach their potential, and he never wavered from doing what was best for the team, even though he was clearly a returning All-American. He never cared about the stats part for himself. He cared that his team was playing the right way and when you're best player does that, everybody else falls in line."

Montgomery saw Butcher's leadership progress with his career at Denver. Butcher may not be the most outspoken player, but Montgomery said his presence and leadership left a mark on the program.

"You saw him mature from a person who came in trying to establish himself as an elite college player, to then someone who became a great leader and really helped move our culture in a direction of selflessness and excellence," Montgomery said.

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.