Bowen Byram is back at the center of trade chatter as multiple teams inquire about the Buffalo Sabres defenseman, who just turned 25 and has one year left on his deal. Buffalo’s front office has said it wants him long-term, but the coming Alex Tuch uncertainty
When Bowen Byram walks back into the offseason, it isn’t just a contract decision waiting for him—it’s the kind of moment that can swing an entire rebuild timeline.
Byram has become a fresh target in trade speculation after TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that multiple teams have inquired about him. He just turned 25, and he has one year left on his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
That one detail is why Buffalo can’t afford to treat this like a slow, comfortable negotiation. Byram was a valuable piece of the Sabres’ success this season. He finished with 11 goals and 31 assists while playing over 22 minutes per game. In the playoffs, he put up seven points in 13 games, logging the same workload.
At the end of the season, Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said he told Byram he wants to sign him to a long-term extension. Kekäläinen views the top-four defensemen as the engine of the team’s success.
Buffalo’s desire to keep him isn’t new. Last summer, Byram was in a similar spot—eligible to sign an extension with one year left on his deal. Back then. he switched agents to Darren Ferris. who has a well-documented history of advising his clients to get to unrestricted free agency. Byram responded with a two-year contract worth $6.25 million per year. setting him up to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027 when the NHL’s salary cap will increase again.
If the Sabres were hoping this time would be different, the market reality complicates it. AFP Analytics projects a seven-year extension for Byram worth roughly $9.5 million per year. A number like that still has to compete with what other defensemen are earning. Darren Raddysh just got $8.5 million per year on an eight-year deal, a figure that only strengthens Byram’s case.
When Byram talked about what he would weigh when deciding whether to extend in Buffalo long-term, he kept returning to one central fear: losing.
“I think there’s a ton of things,” Byram said. “First and foremost, I don’t want to lose anymore. I want to be on a good team every year. I want to compete for a Stanley Cup every year. I want to be playing important games every year. and then there’s more personal stuff like where you fit in. what your role is. When I signed my extension last summer. I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to talk about this for a while. but I don’t know. I’m just taking things a day at a time. trying to be a good teammate. work on my game and improve and put myself in the best position possible.”.
His role has been a talking point before, too. Byram did get more power-play time this season, but he isn’t going to pass Rasmus Dahlin on the depth chart. The presence of Dahlin, Owen Power, and even Mattias Samuelsson makes it tough for Byram to be a consistent top-pair defenseman.
It’s not that Buffalo lacks a reason to want him. Byram has been a critical piece for the Sabres. He’s a great skater, has strong offensive instincts, and plays with confidence. He’s also one of the most well-liked players in Buffalo’s locker room and doesn’t shy away from big moments. There are plenty of reasons to believe he could be a longtime Sabre.
Still, the business is simple: it takes two to make that outcome happen. If the Sabres don’t have confidence that Byram is willing to sign despite their efforts, Kekäläinen has to act to maximize his value.
A looming parallel makes the timing even sharper. The Sabres are now less than two weeks away from Alex Tuch becoming an unrestricted free agent. If Tuch truly leaves, Buffalo will look hard at whether Byram can help replace him. With a $6.25 million cap hit, moving Byram off the books would be significant. His one-year term left might diminish trade value a bit. but the league would still find teams willing to buy the idea that he can be the top-pair defenseman he believes he can be. An acquiring team would also still be able to sign him for eight years under the collective bargaining agreement.
If that leads the Sabres toward a top-six forward to offset the loss of Tuch. the logic points toward asset management. But there’s a cost to cashing in. If Byram leaves, the Sabres would face a short-term hole on defense. Kekäläinen already tried to trade for Colton Parayko a few months ago. so blue-line shuffling may have been part of the planning already.
Even with that, Buffalo isn’t starting from empty. Radim Mrtka, Adam Kleber, and Maxim Strbak have the Sabres well stocked on the prospect pool. Dahlin, Samuelsson, and Power are also locked up long-term as the team’s three most important defensemen. Power’s emergence could make losing Byram easier to handle, and Power tends to make everyone he plays with better.
The numbers during the playoffs underline why this isn’t a light decision. During the playoffs, Power and Byram played 137 minutes together at five-on-five. The Sabres had a 53 percent expected goal share in those minutes. During Power’s 76 five-on-five minutes without Byram (or Dahlin), the Sabres had a 64 percent expected goal share. During Byram’s 50 five-on-five minutes without Power (or Dahlin), the Sabres had a 33 percent expected goal share.
The contrast is the kind of detail that tends to get measured over and over in offseason meetings—because it feeds the same question Buffalo can’t escape: is Byram more replaceable than he feels, or less?
In a perfect world, the Sabres would find a way to keep him. This is not the kind of start to the offseason that feels comfortable, but it’s still business. Sabres fans finally got to experience playoff hockey again, and Byram was a huge part of that. So was Tuch.
Replacing both Byram and Tuch on and off the ice won’t be easy. That might be exactly what the Sabres try to do over the next couple of weeks—before one more opportunity slips away into the timing trap of one year left on a contract.
Bowen Byram Buffalo Sabres Jarmo Kekäläinen trade rumors Alex Tuch NHL contract unrestricted free agent Rasmus Dahlin Owen Power Mattias Samuelsson
So they just… trade him? weird.
If he’s good then why even let other teams “inquire” at all. Feels like they’re already trying to move him before his contract even ends. Also Alex Tuch thing?? I’m lost.
People keep saying “long-term” but also “one year left” so he’s basically gone either way right? Like if he has a year left they should just flip him for a pick now. Idk I don’t follow Sabres that close, but it sounds like Buffalo is panicking about something.
11 goals and 31 assists and they’re talking trade?? That’s literally better than half the league lol. Unless they think he’s gonna do the same thing next year but cheaper or something. And “rebuild timeline” sounds like corporate talk for “we don’t know what we’re doing.”