The Buffalo Sabres re-signed defenseman Bowen Byram to a two-year extension worth $6.25 million per season. This contract will expire at the end of the 2026-27 season, when he will be a pending 26-year-old UFA. Before re-signing, Byram was an RFA who was scheduled for a team-elected salary arbitration. The 24-year-old D-man was also a topic of trade speculation [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-rumor-roundup-the-latest-on-bowen-byram-questions-about-artemi-panarin-s-future-with-rangers] during the off-season, partially because of the Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres] already having Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power on the left side. After trading right winger JJ Peterka [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/utah-mammoth-to-acquire-and-sign-jj-peterka-from-buffalo-sabres-reports] to the Utah Mammoth [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah] in June, some analysts speculated [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-rumor-roundup-could-kadri-reunite-with-the-maple-leafs-will-the-sabres-match-an-offer-sheet-for-byram] they could move Byram for a top-six forward. Instead, the Sabres and Byram found common ground to maintain a nice defense corps, which also includes newly acquired Michael Kesselring and Mattias Samuelsson. Byram is coming off his first full season with the Sabres, recording seven goals and a career-high 38 points in 82 games. He was one of nine Sabres players to finish with a positive plus-minus rating with a plus-11, and he averaged 22:42 of ice time. Byram is coming off another two-year contract at a $3.85-million cap hit, signed with the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche] in 2023. He played parts of four seasons with the Avalanche, including in 2021-22 when he was part of their Stanley Cup championship. Colorado traded him to Buffalo for Casey Mittelstadt close to the 2024 NHL trade deadline. Bowen Byram (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/cfa7660f-4443-4d76-a806-eb46f4212849.jpeg] Bowen Byram (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images) Byram is now headed into his sixth NHL season. Across his previous five campaigns, he’s made over 250 regular-season and playoff appearances. In 246 regular-season games, Byram has 33 goals and 110 points, along with 12 assists in 27 playoff contests. The Sabres now have about $7.39 million in salary cap space, according to PuckPedia [https://puckpedia.com/team/buffalo-sabres]. Only defenseman Conor Timmins, who filed for arbitration [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/11-pending-rfas-file-for-arbitration-including-lukas-dostal-gabe-vilardi-and-more], and goaltender Devon Levi remain RFAs on Buffalo. Byram was also the second-highest-scoring RFA defenseman [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/as-cam-york-re-signs-with-flyers-which-nhl-rfa-defensemen-are-left] who remained unsigned. New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils] youngster Luke Hughes' 44 points are the most, while the Seattle Kraken [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/seattle-kraken]'s Ryker Evans now has the second-most, with 25. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
