Will Butcher's rookie season in the NHL has already been an indisputable success.



There are 12 defensemen in league history who had more assists as a rookie, and Butcher has two more games to collect the two he needs to climb into the top 10. The 2017 Hobey Baker Award winner didn't have any assists Tuesday night in a 5-2 win versus the Rangers at Prudential Center, but he did score two power-play goals.



Butcher's success on the power play has been a boon for the Devils. His play as almost exclusively a third-pairing defenseman has helped him gain confidence in his ability at this level in all situations.



“You look at some of the nuances of the position, he’s really been seamless at picking them up,” Devils defenseman John Moore said. “I think the biggest thing you can notice is he never gets hit. He’s such a smart player and puts himself in the right positions. That’s extremely rare to see in a young D-man. You take that a...