Byram debuts with the Hawks in Vegas against the Golden Knights
The 2026-27 NHL regular season begins on Tuesday with five games, with a former Buffalo Sabres player in a key role. The most prominent debut will be defenseman Bowen Byram, who will make his Chicago Blackhawks debut against former Sabres captain Jack Eichel and the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
Byram was traded just before the NHL Draft in June to the Hawks for the fourth overall pick (Daxon Rudolph), a second-round pick (later flipped to Anaheim for Olen Zellweger) and defenseman Louis Crevier. The 26-year-old then signed a six-year, $75 million contract with Chicago, where he will serve as their #1 blueliner.
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Another former Sabre, winger JJ Peterka, makes his return to the Atlantic Division as a member of the Boston Bruins, as they host the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Peterka was traded by the Utah Mammoth to Boston exactly one year after he was dealt by the Sabres for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring.
The 24-year-old had 20 or more goals for the third year in a row in Salt Lake City, but went pointless in six playoff games, and was swapped to Beantown for a pair of first round picks. Other ex-Sabres playing tonight are Taylor Hall and the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes against Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers, former first rounder Matthew Savoie and the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Vancouver Canucks, and Jake McCabe and the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens.
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