The Buffalo Sabres are stapled to the bottom of the Eastern Conference as the NHL trade deadline approaches. There is no question that they will be selling again as their playoff drought hits 14 seasons. Bowen Byram joined the Sabres last year in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche but has not been a perfect fit in Buffalo. General manager Kevyn Adams should flip Byram before Friday to get more picks.
Byram is 23 and a restricted free agent after the season. While he does need a new contract before next season, he will be under team control for multiple seasons. He is not a physical defenseman but has shown flashes of being a great offensive defenseman with both the Sabres and Avalanche. While it has not been a great fit in Buffalo, teams should want to get their hands on Byram.
The Sabres do not have any extra picks in the first three rounds over the next three years. While they thought the rebuild was over, this team showed that it was not. So they have to recoup some picks to stock the pipeline once again. While Byram could be a part of the next great Sabres team, he is also one of the only assets that could land a first-round pick.
The Sabres have locked up their core players on long-term contracts, including three defensemen. With Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson all signed through the decade, there is not much room to pay another defenseman. Buffalo is well under the salary cap but has not been spending big in recent years. Taking a bet on a prospect over Byram would help their cap sheet and rebuild.
Who should call the Sabres for Byram? And who will give them a first-round pick?
Best fits for Sabres’ Bowen Byram
Byram is a solid offensive defenseman but not one who can quarterback a powerplay in a playoff game. He should go to a team where there is a solid powerplay operator and he can hone his craft with the second unit. While that may not be worth a first-round pick for this year, this would be an addition for years to come.
He likely won’t return to the Avalanche, but the Vancouver Canucks make a lot of sense for Bowen Byram. Quinn Hughes is one of the elite defensemen in the league but behind him, it is very bleak. They already used the first-round pick they got for JT Miller to get Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins. But they still have their own pick if they want to pick up another defenseman.
The Detroit Red Wings are close to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and could make a big trade deadline splash. If the Sabres could snag their first-round pick for Byram, it would be a mutually beneficial trade. At this point in Steve Yzerman’s tenure as GM, he has to add players who can help right now. Drafting another 18-year-old in June won’t help quench the fanbase’s playoff thirst.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are planning on adding to their roster at the NHL trade deadline. They already said they won’t trade Ivan Provorov but are far apart on a contract extension with the defenseman. If they were willing to send a first-rounder to Buffalo, they could get Byram to help this team and replace Provorov if he leaves. After trading David Jiricek earlier this season, they have an extra pick in the 2025 first round.
The Sabres should move on from Byram to replenish their prospect pipeline and help them rebuild. This is a seller’s market and they could get a first-rounder and maybe more for the defenseman.
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