The Buffalo Sabres haven’t made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 14 seasons and there is hope they can soon turn the tide and end their drought. Roster reconstruction might already be underway in Buffalo as well as a key young defenseman has found his name on the trade block.
According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Sabres are seeing what possibilities could be out there for defenseman Bowen Byram. The 23-year-old just finished a two-year deal that earned him $3.85 million annually and is set to be a restricted free agent.
“At the very least what’s going on is that the Sabres are gauging his market value,” Friedman said. “Byram needs a contract, he’s got two more years until he’s an unrestricted free agent, so Buffalo doesn’t have to do anything here.”
The Sabres would be completely within their right to retain Byram for another couple of years until he earns unrestricted free agent status, but they want to see what kind of deal can be made.
Byram is a former fourth-overall pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2019 and still has a ton of potential in the NHL. 2024-25 was a career year for Byram with seven goals and 31 assists for a career-high 38 points.
Over the course of his five-year career, Byram has played 246 games with 33 goals, 77 assists, and 110 total points.
“There is no doubt that his name is out there,” Friedman said. “There’s just been an agent change so that always leads to conversation… We’ll see where this takes us, but there is definitely noise around the Byram name and the Buffalo Sabres.”
Byram wasn’t in Buffalo for long, but might welcome a change of scenery. Not only does he want to compete with a winning team, but he could also want a bigger role.
Right now in Buffalo, Byram is playing behind the likes of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. All three are left-shot defenseman, clogging up that side of the blue line in Buffalo.
“He is a confident lad, Byram, and I say that in a positive way,” Friedman said. “I think he would like a bigger role… It’s tough in Buffalo with who’s ahead of him and who’s around him.”
There are sure to be a few teams with interest in Byram, especially if the cost can stay near his recent $3.85 million mark.
