The Sabres are in a tough spot in 2024-25.
The Buffalo Sabres are in a bad spot right now. Buffalo entered play on Friday with losses in 11 straight games. Unfortunately, the bad luck continued on Friday when they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice. The slump has sparked trade discussion around players like Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram as the team looks to potentially shake things up.
If the Sabres are to make a big move, they need to wait a bit. The NHL puts a halt to any trades around Christmas time, and this year is no different. The NHL's holiday roster freeze went into effect on Thursday night at 11:59 local time. Teams cannot make trades again until the early morning hours of December 28.
Buffalo could certainly hit the ground running once the roster freeze is lifted. In fact, they had an assistant general manager in attendance for the Detroit Red Wings' 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. A trade did not come about following that appearance. But it's certainly noteworthy from the Sabres.
Buffalo is going to be under a microscope entering the new year. There is growing pressure for them to do something about their losing ways. But what move makes the most sense for the Sabres moving forward? Here is one player the Sabres should trade soon in an effort to shake things up.
Sabres should look into trading Bowen Byram
The Sabres have a number of trade candidates on their roster, to be fair. For instance, interest in forward Dylan Cozens is seen as legitimate, according to recent reports. Any pending unrestricted free agent is also a name to watch. However, Buffalo could also consider a bigger trade involving defenseman Bowen Byram.
Byram was acquired by Buffalo at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline back in March. The 23-year-old had struggled with injuries following a dominating performance in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final with the Colorado Avalanche. His move to Buffalo has worked out well for him, though. Byram scored nine points in 18 games last year. And he has 18 points in 33 games in 2024-25.
The Sabres certainly could keep Byram, and it'd be hard to blame them for doing so. However, he is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. This puts him in line for a rather substantial contract extension. And Buffalo may want to avoid such an investment given their current situation.
Related Buffalo Sabres NewsArticle continues below
Buffalo has three defensemen signed through at least 2030 — Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson. Given Byram's age, another long-term contract is not out of the question. But the Sabres have pending UFA Henri Jokiharju due for a contract this summer. Additionally, forward Ryan McLeod is a pending RFA in his own right.
The Sabres could trade one of the other names, to be fair. In saying this, neither McLeod nor Jokiharju have the upside Byram has. His upside, combined with his age, could make Byram one of the more sought-after defenders on the trade market. His availability could net Buffalo a massive haul of draft capital and/or players, depending on the team's asking price.
Byram has shown the ability to play at a very high level. He has remained relatively healthy, and hopefully, this continues into the future. The Sabres are right to want to shake things up. But you need a massive trade in order to do so. Byram could be the player that nets the Sabres the massive team-changing haul they feel they need.
