.jpg?w=1280)
7 Trade Landing Spots for Bowen Byram Amid NHL Rumors
The Buffalo Sabres are about to go through a fascinating offseason, and it might get a bit wilder now that teams are calling them about defenseman Bowen Byram.
Insider Darren Dreger reported that teams have called the Sabres about Byram, who's about to go into the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Buffalo just went through a season in the same position with star forward Alex Tuch, and boy, that's a lot of stress, isn't it?
At least the Sabres finally broke the playoff drought and showed they've arrived as a contender.
Byram's $6.25 million cap hit is more than affordable, and after seeing how he and Owen Power performed as a pair this season and in the playoffs, it's hard to argue against his value and what he can do. He moves the puck well, he generates offense, and he can create his own goals.
According to Frank Seravalli, Byram is looking for a No. 1 role on the blue line, something he won't get behind Rasmus Dahlin. Add to that David Pagnotta's report saying Byram wants at least $10 million a year on a new deal, and you can see why the cap-stressed Sabres might look to move him so they don't lose him for nothing a year from now.
If the Sabres trade Byram, which teams should be ringing GM Jarmo Kekäläinen's phone the most? We've picked out a handful of candidates based on what's out there and what else could make sense.
Philadelphia Flyers
1 of 7
One of the teams in the league most in need of a high-end, puck-moving defenseman is the Flyers, and what Byram can do fits their exact needs.
Philly's blue line has some strong talent, but they're lacking a No. 1 or a No. 1-like guy who can command the puck, rush with purpose and drive their power play. Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale are very good. Cam York started to really break out this season. Adding a guy like Byram to that group would give them a big lift in what they can do offensively.
Perhaps more importantly, the Flyers have players who would be of interest to the Sabres, helping make a deal happen. Rumors bubbled up with a froth around Buffalo's interest in bringing back Rasmus Ristolainen to their own blue line, but if they lose Alex Tuch in free agency, would the Flyers be willing to part with Owen Tippett to land Byram? He's a player that would help fill a Tuch-sized hole in the Sabres lineup.
Chicago Blackhawks
2 of 7
Chicago is on the hunt for a No. 1 defenseman of their own, and if you slotted Bo Byram onto their blue line, it would help them improve their offense in a big way.
Adding Byram to a defense corps that's lacking a veteran presence but has many potentially very talented players could be the move that helps push Chicago out of the lottery and into the playoff picture by giving them someone to help steady their attack.
With Byram leading the way on defense, the breakouts for Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar would improve greatly. Young defenders like Artyom Levshunov, Kevin Korchinski, and Sam Rinzel wouldn't be stressed to be great right away. Byram could help guide them, having already lived that life in Colorado and Buffalo.
The catch here is this: how does Chicago make a deal palatable to the Sabres? Buffalo isn't likely interested in picks and prospects given their new status as a playoff team and contender, and the 'Hawks aren't in a spot to sacrifice solid veteran forwards in a trade to bring Byram in.
Toronto Maple Leafs
3 of 7
We've already seen the Maple Leafs and new GM John Chayka get bold to fix their blue line by acquiring and signing Darren Raddysh from Tampa Bay. If they really want to push the pace, swinging a deal with rival Buffalo for Bo Byram would do it.
Byram would give them a puck mover on defense they haven't had since Morgan Rielly's prime years, and you could argue Byram's offensive skills are higher. The Leafs are in a spot where they more or less have to go for it to maximize Auston Matthews and William Nylander's prime years and getting aggressive to add Byram would definitely do that.
But how do you make a deal happen with a direct divisional rival? Undoubtedly, the Sabres would demand that forward Matthew Knies be part of the deal, and a game of "who says no first" becomes a staring contest given both players' talent level. Byram would give Toronto a No. 1 defenseman, and Knies would give the Sabres a player who could very well replace Alex Tuch.
A trade like that wouldn't have to be more complicated than those players one-for-one, but deals with rivals always have the caveat for GMs to absolutely win the trade.
.jpg?w=256 "NHL Trade Block Big Board")
Seattle Kraken
4 of 7
This setup is more likely one you could see coming more from the Sabres' interest than from the Kraken.
Seattle's defense already has some solid players, including Vince Dunn, Brandon Montour, and Adam Larsson, but adding Bo Byram would give them an exciting top four capable of pushing the pace from the back end. The Kraken need more juice in their offense, and Byram would help with that.
For Buffalo, they could approach a deal with Seattle as a way to do a straight-up potential UFA-for-UFA trade and set their sights on Jared McCann. He's also on the final year of his deal, and his $5 million cap hit would be just over a million less than what Byram makes. McCann would give them a veteran who could step into a potential vacancy left by Alex Tuch, allowing the Sabres to buy time on that front for some of their younger forwards to gain more experience and perhaps land a veteran who can be part of their group moving forward.
That line of thinking leads to an obvious question for the Sabres: Why not just hang on to Byram and see it out to the end? And, yeah, that's a very fair ask and option for them as well. But if the Sabres see losing Tuch as a harder loss than losing Byram, finding a way to make up for that could be adding a former 40-goal scorer like McCann.
St. Louis Blues
5 of 7
The Blues and Sabres were hot in the rumors at the trade deadline this year, and if St. Louis is interested in landing Bo Byram like they were last summer, the heat isn't going away.
While Byram's future with the Sabres was in question last summer as an RFA, the Blues were eager to kick the tires on him. At the deadline this year, the Sabres and Blues were rumored to be discussing forward Robert Thomas in what would've been a blockbuster deal of a different kind. While talk around Thomas has been all but silenced, the possibility of Jordan Kyrou being moved hasn't exactly been hushed.
A deal built around Byram going to the Blues for Kyrou is one that, at least on paper, makes sense for both teams. St. Louis would add a puck-moving defenseman who could take the reins on their power play and top pairing. Buffalo would acquire a scoring winger who could fill out their top six and ease the potential loss of Alex Tuch in free agency.
Kyrou's $8.125 million cap hit would be offset for the Sabres by moving Byram and would fit their budget a little better than what Tuch is likely asking for (potentially around $10 million a year). On paper, it's a trade that would scratch an itch for both teams.
Los Angeles Kings
6 of 7
The Kings need help on defense, and adding Bo Byram to their blue line would go a long way toward sparking their offense and giving them a successor to Drew Doughty as well.
Doughty is Los Angeles' main puck mover, and at 36 years old, time isn't exactly on his side. The Kings have been patiently waiting for Brandt Clarke to find his game, and while they've got veterans like Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci to help out, there's no doubt Byram would provide an instant upgrade to their overall blue-line group.
Although Byram wants to be a No. 1 guy with those responsibilities on the power play, and Doughty's presence would potentially hinder that, time is on Byram's side, particularly if he stays with the Kings.
Making a deal work with Buffalo has options. Players like Alex Turcotte and Alex Laferriere would appeal to them, as could defenseman Joel Edmundson. Sabres fans would obviously want to see someone like Quinton Byfield in that kind of trade, but asking for him might only get GM Ken Holland to hang up the phone. That said, trading a star for a package of players to better the Sabres' depth all around would make sense, too.
Vegas Golden Knights
7 of 7
You can't have a story about possibly trading a big-name player without involving the Vegas Golden Knights. These are the rules and the way Vegas does things; there are no rules for them. But in truth, they could be active on that front if they can't work out a contract with Rasmus Andersson.
Vegas was interested in Byram last summer, before they landed Andersson in a trade with the Calgary Flames, and the interest made sense. They wanted a puck-moving defenseman to help their new attack with Mitch Marner joining up with Jack Eichel, and Byram fit that bill. Now that Andersson is closing in on July 1 and set to be a UFA, if he heads elsewhere (something that would very much be a surprise), calling Buffalo about Byram would be a logical next step.
With the Sabres in a position to want NHL talent in return rather than picks or prospects, it makes Vegas a logical trade partner. Whether it's veteran forwards or defensemen, there are matches that could be made for what the Sabres could ask for.
The big catch, however, is the set of no-move and no-trade clauses for the players who could be involved in such a move. Buffalo proved they're a team that can win and has arrived, but is it enough to get them off players' no-trade lists? If Vegas wants Byram that badly, this might be the kind of setup that helps prove it.
.jpg?w=480 "NHL Trade Block Big Board")
