dpBUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram is back at the center of trade speculation.
TSN’s Darren Dreger has reported that multiple teams have inquired about Byram, who just turned 25 and has one year left on his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
The last part is why this is a conversation at all. Byram was a valuable piece of the Sabres’ success this season. He had 11 goals and 31 assists while playing over 22 minutes per game. He had seven points in 13 playoff games and logged the same workload.
At the end of the season, Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said he told Byram he wants to sign him to a long-term extension. Kekäläinen views the top-four defensemen as the engine of the team’s success.
Last summer, Byram was in a similar spot, eligible to sign an extension with one year left on his deal. He switched agents to Darren Ferris, who has a well-documented history of advising his clients to get to unrestricted free agency. Byram signed a two-year contract worth $6.25 million per year, lining him up to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 when the NHL’s salary cap will increase once again.
AFP Analytics projects a seven-year extension for Byram worth roughly $9.5 million per year. As I wrote after the NHL Scouting Combine, I don’t think that will be enough. Darren Raddysh just got $8.5 million per year on an eight-year deal, which only further helps Byram’s cause.
When I asked Byram about what factors he would consider when deciding whether to extend in Buffalo long-term, he mentioned his role in his answer.
“I think there’s a ton of things,” Byram said. “First and foremost, I don’t want to lose anymore. I want to be on a good team every year. I want to compete for a Stanley Cup every year. I want to be playing important games every year, and then there’s more personal stuff like where you fit in, what your role is. When I signed my extension last summer, I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to talk about this for a while, but I don’t know. I’m just taking things a day at a time, trying to be a good teammate, work on my game and improve and put myself in the best position possible.”
His role was a point of discussion last summer, too. Byram did get more power-play time this season, but he’s not going to pass Rasmus Dahlin on the depth chart. The presence of Dahlin, Owen Power and even Mattias Samuelsson makes it tough for Byram to be a consistent top-pair defenseman.
Obviously, he’s been a critical piece in Buffalo. He’s a great skater, has strong offensive instincts and plays the game with a ton of confidence. He’s one of the most well-liked players in Buffalo’s locker room and doesn’t shy away from big moments. There are a lot of reasons to want Byram to be a longtime Sabre.
Still, it takes two to make that outcome a reality. If the Sabres don’t have confidence that Byram is willing to sign despite their efforts to make that happen, Kekäläinen has to act to maximize his value. Look at where the Sabres are with Alex Tuch, who is now less than two weeks away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. If Byram truly wants to be a No. 1 defenseman, run a top power play and get paid accordingly, that combination of things is going to be hard to come by in Buffalo.
Byram does like the Buffalo area and has grown comfortable with his teammates, but he is from Western Canada and has already won the Stanley Cup. Those are variables that will come into play when Byram is figuring out his next move.
Byram balked at the chance to sign long-term last summer. He signed a two-year deal that would push him right to free agency, so this inflection point was always inevitable.
The Sabres could hold on to Byram and let him play out his contract and risk losing him for nothing next summer, but he’s also one of their most interesting trade chips. His $6.25 million cap hit would be a significant one to move off the books. If Tuch leaves, the Sabres could use Byram to help replace him. The fact that he only had one year left on his contract might diminish his value a bit, but it wouldn’t be hard to find a team in the league convinced that Byram can be that top-pair defenseman he thinks he is. And an acquiring team would still be able to sign him for eight years under the collective bargaining agreement. If that gets the Sabres a top-six forward who can help offset the loss of Tuch, that might be the best asset management.
The Sabres would have a short-term hole to fill on defense if Byram left. Kekäläinen already tried to trade for Colton Parayko a few months ago, so he may have been planning for some blue-line shuffling already. Radim Mrtka, Adam Kleber and Maxim Strbak have the Sabres well stocked on defense in the prospect pool.
Dahlin, Samuelsson and Power are all locked up long-term, too. Those are the Sabres’ three most important defensemen. Power’s emergence would make losing Byram easier to handle. Power tends to make everyone he plays with better these days.
During the playoffs, Power and Byram played 137 minutes together at five-on-five. The Sabres had a 53 percent expected goal share in those minutes. During Power’s 76 five-on-five minutes without Byram (or Dahlin), the Sabres had a 64 percent expected goal share. During Byram’s 50 five-on-five minutes without Power (or Dahlin), the Sabres had a 33 percent expected goal share.
In a perfect world, the Sabres would find a way to keep Byram. This isn’t a comfortable start to the offseason, but that’s business. Sabres fans finally got to experience playoff hockey again, and Byram was a huge part of that. So was Tuch. Replacing both Byram and Tuch on and off the ice won’t be easy, but that might be what the Sabres try to do over the next couple of weeks.
