After Bowen Byram was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks in a big trade with the Buffalo Sabres, he had a media session on Zoom the next day. There, he revealed that he has already had contact with two of the Chicago Blackhawks' most important figures. 

That would be superstar forward and former first overall pick Connor Bedard and head coach Jeff Blashill. 

When it comes to Connor Bedard, the conversation around the team is that he needs a winger who is capable of putting up big-time numbers. The truth is that the Blackhawks are currently content with the options that they have, while also acknowledging that they are always looking for more. 

There is also some truth in the idea that a defenseman who transports the puck as well as Bowen Bryam will help Bedard. They will be on the ice together at even strength quite a bit, and they are almost always going to share the same power play ice. 

When the trade broke, Bedard reached out to Byram to let him know how excited he was. 

"I know Connor, I've skated with him a few times in the summer in Vancouver," Byram said. "I played World Championships with him. He's really the only guy on the team I know other than Burakovsky. I feel like I know Connor decently well. I think we both just shared how excited we were. It's hard to describe when you finally get to somewhere you want to be; we were just both excited."

It is a treat to play with players that you know and are familiar with off the ice, but it helps when both are extremely good at their craft. 

"I'm super excited to get the opportunity to play with him," Byram continued. "Everyone knows how good a player he is. I'll do my best to contribute to his success and the team's success, however I can." 

Jeff Blashill now has the task of getting all of the skilled players on the team to work as a unit and give them the best chance to succeed within his system. 

For Byram, it will be more of the same from him. He's a defenseman who is known for running wild, which will be Blashill's responsibility to reel him in sometimes, but also have the right partner for him where he's free to make a play. 

"We talked briefly," Byram said of his first conversation with Blashill. "Just an introduction, saying hello. I don't know him personally, but our assistant coach in Buffalo is close with him. They played college hockey together, so they've been buddies for a long time. I'm sure in the next few days we'll touch base again and go through a more in-depth discussion of things." 

There are a lot of options for Blashill when it comes to deployment, and that will likely see Bedard and Byram making plays in the offensive zone together. The conversations are already underway. 

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