The Buffalo Sabres situation elected to go to salary arbitration with restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram last week, eliminating the possibility of another NHL club going the offer sheet route, but the yet to be scheduled hearing could be a deadline of sorts for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to get the best return possible for the Stanley Cup winner.  

The 24-year-old blueliner is two years away from unrestricted free agency, and is while not requesting a trade from the Sabres, he would prefer to be dealt to a club where his path to a top-pairing role and a big-money contract is not blocked by former top overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. Reports have indicated that Adams has not been bowled over by the offers he’s received and hinted earlier this month that he may choose to hold onto Byram if he does not get an acceptable offer.    

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"I had a great one-on-one conversation with Bo at the end of the season, just understanding where he's at. He's a great kid, he loves his teammates, and he loves being a Sabre, but he also understands that he has this window in his career, and what does that look like, and what are (the) opportunities?" Adams said. "I've had a lot of conversations with (agent) Darren Ferris, and I've just been very honest with him. I understand the position he's in, where (Byram) is in his career, and (that) he's two years away from UFA, and we'll just keep talking.” 

The issue that Adams may now face is that Ferris, who represented the two biggest free agents in this year’s free agent class in Florida’s Sam Bennett and Toronto’s Mitch Marner, is a strong advocate of players walking their way to free agency and not negotiating extensions until the last possible moment or until the player hits the open market. That is how the scenarios played out for Bennett – who re-signed with the Panthers on an eight-year, $64 million extension mere hours before becoming unrestricted, and with Marner – who signed an eight-year, $96 million deal with Toronto as part of a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. 

The Sabres may be facing a situation where they have to consummate a deal for Byram before the scheduled arbitration hearing or face the possibility of trying to trade a depreciating asset.  Ferris’s reputation is widely known around the league and teams interested in Byram may be wary of giving up significant assets for him and only having him in the fold for only two years.