After rumors of going to a variety of destinations for most of the summer, Bowen Byram and the Buffalo Sabres agreed on a two-year deal in July. The Sabres in the end could not get the big return they were hoping to get for the 24-year-old Stanley Cup winner, and opted to re-sign the blueliner for a cap hit of $6.25 million, but in exchange they will walk the former fourth overall pick to the doorstep of unrestricted free agency in July 2027.
"I think it works pretty well from my side. I've been on a shorter-term deal before, and I feel comfortable in that situation. I'm just trying to keep playing hard and keep getting better, and if you play well, you'll get rewarded." Byram said. "I feel like it's just a level of maturity and understanding what kind of business you're in and not taking anything personal. Teams are trying to get better, whether that's getting something from me in return, or whatever it might be, I don't know, but at the end of the day, I have to focus on myself and what I'm doing."
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The Sabres offseason saw their second leading scorer in JJ Peterka depart after the winger reportedly asked to be traded, and after not bringing back a replacement for Peterka in a Byram deal, Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams and head coach Lindy Ruff are looking for internal development from young forwards Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, and Jiri Kulich, and better overall team defense, but also will be looking for Byram to help generate offense on the top pairing with Sabres team captain Rasmus Dahlin.
“"I think because of where we're at. I think (Byram’s) game got to a point where he tried to do too much. I think when he was with (Dahlin), he was basically back most of the time,” Ruff said.”When he wasn't with Rasmus, he was trying to be that guy that could get up ice and try to create more offense, hang on to pucks more and I think that got him into more difficult situations on the ice than he needed to get into."
The new deal does not include any no-trade protection, which leaves the possibility open for Adams to move Byram down the line, but at the moment the Sabres are hoping that a blueline with Dahlin, Byram, Power, and newcomer Michael Kesselring in the top four will help them be more competitive in the Eastern Conference.
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