The Buffalo Sabres were reeling in the final couple of days before Bowen Byram was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to Western New York. The team was mired in a three-game losing skid, sacrificing precious points in the late-season push for a playoff spot. Sabres fans were likely shocked when one of the most objectively surprising trades broke ahead of the March 8 NHL trade deadline: Byram for Casey Mittelstadt.
Mittelstadt is in the midst of a career-best year, and he should be a key cog in the wheel as the Avalanche look to bring a second Stanley Cup in three seasons to Denver. And he will certainly be missed in Buffalo. But Byram has been excellent in a small sample size with his new club. After his arrival, the Sabres won four of five games before two tough away losses in Vancouver and Edmonton, respectively.
But the early returns look to be excellent. This is a goal-scorer from the back end that can play in all situations, can play on his off-side, and is making just $3.85-million against the salary cap for this season and 2024-25. And after that, he's set to be a team-controlled restricted free agent, meaning there's at least a decent chance he'll sign for a few more seasons in Buffalo.
All signs point to Byram being a staple on the blue line in Western New York for years to come. Here are three reasons why the 22-year-old will end up being a crucial add for this club.
Bowen Byram will be the perfect partner for superstar Rasmus Dahlin
Byram was playing on one of the league's best defensive cores in Colorado, led by the best D-man in the league in Cale Makar. It also includes multiple other impact players like Devon Toews, Samuel Girard and Josh Manson. Byram struggled to carve out a role on a truly elite blue line, and despite his offensive talent, he was often playing a lot less than he could have been.
In Buffalo, that will not be a problem. He is immediately slotting in on the top pairing along with Rasmus Dahlin, and the two have been excellent together thus far. Dahlin is a true superstar, a former No. 1 overall pick who has continued to excel on a consistently middling Sabres team. Maybe with a partner like Byram, he will be able to reach even higher heights next season. As it stands, he's amassed six points over his last eight games; Byram has added the exact same level of production, along with three goals.
Byram will soon be part of an elite defensive core
Although the Sabres currently own the longest playoff drought in the National Hockey League, there is hope that the team can make a triumphant return to the postseason over the next couple of campaigns. That was supposed to happen this season — especially as the team missed by a single win in 2022-23 — but it's been another disappointing campaign for the club.
Despite that, having two No. 1 overall picks on the back end in Dahlin and Owen Power will start to pay off as the latter gets more and more comfortable at the NHL level. And now adding Byram, another young and hungry player, half of the defense looks to be in place for at least next season, but likely a lot longer. Once this team figures it out, a back end featuring Dahlin, Byram and Power projects to be excellent. It's just going to take some patience.
He brings a winning mentality badly needed in Buffalo
Byram will surely be a key piece on the ice moving forward. But he also knows what it takes to win, having marched all the way to the Stanley Cup Final with the Avalanche two years ago. Facing down a Tampa Bay Lightning team that was looking to go back-to-back-to-back and cement themselves as a modern-day dynasty, it was Colorado who came out on top in six games. Byram is a Stanley Cup champion, and knows what it takes to win.
“He has breathed new life into that team, you can see that he wants to drag it to his level and you can see those players recognized that they are with someone who’s been on a winner and understands that habits that you need to win,” Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman said on his podcast roughly a week after the trade.
Although his full potential in Buffalo won't be realized until next season and beyond, Bowen Byram is an excellent offensive defenseman, is making pennies compared to what he contributes to an NHL roster, and should improve his game even further on a pairing with one of the league's best D-men. It will be intriguing to see what the D-core looks like over the next few years, and whether Byram can be part of the solution to getting this team back to the dance for the first time since 2011.
Follow Us
Subscribe