On March 24, 2010, Butler was recognized as the 58th recipient of the Walter Brown Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.

Upon commencement of the shortened 2012–13 season, Butler was recalled to New Jersey and made his Devils debut against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on February 3, 2013.

In December 2016, after having played in 37 games (six goals, ten assists) for Zagreb, he transferred to fellow KHL outfit Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

[11] As a free agent in the following off-season, Butler returned to North America and opted to sign a one-year AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals on August 10, 2017.

[citation needed] He continued his career in the AHL following the conclusion of the season, signing a one-year contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack, affiliate of the New York Rangers, on July 2, 2018.

[13] During his coaching tenure, Butler opted to return to the professional circuit, initially playing a one-off appearance with the Worcester Railers of the ECHL on January 2, 2022, earning first-star honours with three points in a 5–3 victory over the Reading Royals.

[15] While in his final two seasons within the AHL, Butler transitioned to coaching in originally performing as the Director of player development with the Boston Junior Bruins from 2017 to 2019.

He ceased his professional career from 2019 to 2022, performing as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Worcester Jr. Railers and as an NCAA volunteer assistant coach with the Holy Cross.