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The Buffalo Sabres are continuing to look for answers after a nearly unbelievable 14th straight season without playoff hockey in 2024-25. While the organization is looking to add a veteran executive to support general manager Kevyn Adams, the team could also finally pull the trigger on a Bowen Byram trade.
The offensive defenseman has seen his name swirling in rumors for months, and as The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported earlier this week, enhancing Buffalo's management team is “going to lead to eventual roster changes.”
“We saw a big move that they made ahead of the trade deadline by shipping out Dylan Cozens, bringing in Josh Norris,” Pagnotta said in a recent episode of ‘The Latest' on TFP. “Bowen Byram’s name is expected to pop up in trade discussions again at some point later this off-season, likely around the Draft, that would be my guess.”
The hockey insider continued: “It could prolong into July, but expect to hear Bowen Byram’s name out there again in the trade market as the Sabres look to improve. The goal next season is to compete for the playoffs, so any moves that they make is going to have that in mind.”
Byram is on an expiring contract; the 23-year-old is at the end of a two-year, $7.7 million pact he signed as a member of the Colorado Avalanche back in July of 2023.
It's been a tough go for Byram since being traded from the Avalanche to the Sabres in March of 2024. He managed just seven goals and 38 points over a full 82-game season with Buffalo in 2024-25, while having a tough time getting onto either powerplay unit.
Sabres have a plethora of offensive defensemen
Byram will become a restricted free agent on July 1, and per Pagnotta, Adams could look to move him for a top-six forward. Buffalo's blue line already boasts a couple of offensive-minded players in former No. 1 overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, and it wouldn't be surprising if Byram didn't get a new contract with the Sabres.
At his best, Byram is playing in the top-four and quarterbacking a man advantage unit, which just hasn't been the case for the Cranbrook, British Columbia native in Western New York.
The organization is expected to be active this summer, with a shade over $21 million in salary cap space going into next season. Although the team could certainly afford to pay Byram, there doesn't seem to be any indication that will happen between now and July 1.
Despite a strong finish to the campaign, the Sabres finished 14th in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25 with a 36-39-7 record. The franchise is finding it impossible to create any kind of sustained success after yet another season without a trip to the playoffs.
Buffalo hasn't been playing hockey at the end of April since 2011, and it's clear the patience of the fanbase is running thin. It'll be interesting to see what moves the organization makes this summer to try to get back to legitimate postseason contention in 2025-26.
