The Buffalo Sabres are attached to St Louis Blues center Robert Thomas in the NHL trade deadline rumor mill. St Louis is expected to ask for a haul from teams for both Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. For Buffalo, that could include multiple first-round picks. But The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford reports that the Blues won't be getting Bowen Byram from the Sabres.
“The Blues had interest in Buffalo D Bowen Byram last summer, but I’m told he’s not expected to be part of a potential Thomas deal,” Rutherford reported.
Byram started his career with the Colorado Avalanche before he was traded to the Sabres. Last offseason, Byram and Buffalo had a standoff amid his restricted free agency. That ended with him signing a two-year deal worth $6.25 million, which ends with him hitting unrestricted free agency.
Since the standoff, the Sabres have changed general managers. So there is no guarantee that Byram and Jarmo Kekalainen would not be able to reach a long-term deal. Byram and previous GM Kevyn Adams were unable to before he was fired. There were a lot of trade rumors around Byram in the summer, but he won't be going to the Blues.
If the Sabres want to trade players to the Blues instead of a second draft pick, Byram would have been a great fit. But other options include Peyton Krebs, Zach Benson, or top prospect Konsta Helenius. Landing Thomas will be expensive, as he is a 26-year-old center under team control. But the Sabres are drawing a line.
The final hurdle for this deal will be Thomas' full no-trade clause. If he does not want to go to Buffalo, he can deny the trade. But Buffalo may sound better than the Blues, who are headed into a full-scale rebuild. Can the Sabres pull off the deal of the deadline?
