BUFFALO — You can be sure Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been fielding calls from his counterparts inquiring about the availability of Bowen Byram, who can become an unrestricted free agent next year.
As a puck-moving defenseman fresh off a career-best 11-goal, 42-point season and some standout performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Byram, 25, is a coveted asset as he enters his prime.
GMs are simply doing their due diligence. Kekalainen should listen and politely tell them Byram isn’t available unless a team meets what should be some steep demands.
On the surface, trading Byram might make some sense. The Sabres are deep on the blue line. They could lose him for nothing next year, so why not get something for him?
Byram would likely help Kekalainen land a top-six forward – if winger Alex Tuch leaves as a free agent, the Sabres must add scoring – or address another need.
Most teams are lucky to have one horse on defense. In Byram, captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson, the Sabres boast four.
But Byram’s presence helps fuel the Sabres’ ability to attack from the back end, perhaps their greatest strength. He has emerged as a massive part of their success.
The Sabres, having established themselves as an NHL heavyweight, should be in go-for-it mode this offseason.
Subtracting Byram likely wouldn’t move them closer to the Cup. There’s no one in the pipeline or who has played a supporting role in the NHL ready to his assume his heavy 22-minute workload each game.
During his end-of-season media availability, Kekalainen said he would like to “lock (Byram) up for a long time.”
“I think the top four of our defense is our driver, our engine (with) their mobility, ability to move the puck, ability to support offense but also play good defensively,” he said May 20 in KeyBank Center. “There’s a lot of untapped potential there, too. I think Bo’s still a young defenseman and he can get better.”
When he inked a two-year, $12.5 million deal 11 months ago, Byram thought any contract talk was in the rearview mirror. Well, not quite.
“It’s funny, when I signed my extension last summer, I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to talk about this for a while,” he said May 20.
Byram, the fourth overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019, will become eligible to sign another extension July 1.
Whenever and wherever he lands a new contract, he will cash in. Given his age and skill set, he should receive a long-term deal worth perhaps around $10 million per season.
With so many players to pay, the Sabres probably have legitimate salary cap concerns. Dahlin has an $11 million annual cap hit. Power has an $8.35 million hit.
Naturally, Byram said the ability to win is the biggest factor in his contract talks.
The Sabres certainly check that box. They just won 50 games, notched 109 points and registered their postseason series victory in 19 years. They appear built to enjoy more success in the coming years.
“I want to be on a good team every year, and I want to compete for a Stanley Cup every year,” said Byram, who owns a Cup ring he won with the Avalanche in 2022. “I want to be playing important games every year. And then there’s more personal stuff: where you fit in, what your goal is, whatever.”
Right now, Byram fits in the top four, usually alongside Power on the second tandem. After the Sabres acquired him in 2023-24 from Colorado in exchange for forward Casey Mittelstadt, Byram quickly took on a bigger role.
In Buffalo, however, he will likely never be considered a true No. 1 defenseman with Dahlin and even Power around.
If he wants that label – he might be good enough to be cast in that prominent role – Byram might have to look somewhere else.
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The NHL on Thursday announced the order for the NHL Draft next Friday and Saturday. The Sabres have just four picks: the 20th, 124th, 156th and 188th selections.