In his season-ending press conference on Apr. 21, Pittsburgh Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas specified that the team would look to bolster the left side on defense from outside the organization.

And there appears to be a top-four blueliner on the trade market.

According to a report by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Buffalo Sabres are "gauging the market" for 24-year-old defenseman Bowen Byram. 

Byram - selected 4th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft - figures to be one of the hottest names on the market this offseason as a pending-restricted free agent (RFA). He is due for a sizable raise on his $3.85 million salary, as he notched seven goals and 38 points to go along with a plus-11 rating.

He is a legitimate top-four option on the left side for any team who may be seeking his services. And Dubas and the Penguins should be one of them.

After dealing top-four shutdown defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31 - and with pending-unrestricted free agent Matt Grzelcyk's summer fate uncertain - the Penguins may have no legitimate top-four defensemen for their left side next season. And that's not even just in terms of talent, it's also about players having the capability to eat a large amount of minutes.

Byram's ice time keeps climbing with every season he plays, and he averaged 22 minutes and 42 seconds per game last season. For reference, Grzelcyk averaged 20 minutes and 37 seconds, while Pettersson averaged a little more than 21 minutes. 

As for the other left-side blueliners remaining on the Penguins' roster? Counting 21-year-old prospect Owen Pickering - who Dubas has already acknowledged as not quite ready for a top-four role - here is the average ice time for each of them:

     - Pickering: 14:49
     - Ryan Graves: 14:59
     - Ryan Shea: 16:44
     - P.O Joseph (RFA): 17:20
     - Vladislav Kolyachonok: 14:20

'I Would Love To Come Back': After Career Year, Grzelcyk Hopes To Stay In Pittsburgh When defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made the decision to sign with the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> last summer, he did so with the mindset that he'd come in and be granted some opportunity to rediscover his game.

These are bottom pair-type minutes, and none of these players should really figure into a top-pairing role next season, even if Dubas decides not to put much effort into winning next season. He needs to look outside the organization to get his hands on someone who is not only capable of logging hefty minutes, but someone who is also young enough to remain longer-term.

Acquiring someone like Byram to pair with Kris Letang can help take some of the burden off Letang, 38, to produce offensively. Byram can also man a power play unit, so he can help reduce the aging Letang's overall minutes as well.

In addition, having that top-pairing defenseman on the left side reduces the pressure on someone like Pickering, who - although he should make a legitimate push for a full-time NHL roster spot next season - would actually have room to grow in a bottom-four capacity before taking on a larger role later on. 

Byram seems to be getting better with every passing season, and Dubas has expressed that he may explore the RFA market for good, young players who can help the team now and in the future. Even though Byram is already a serviceable two-way, top-four defenseman, there is - potentially - still a higher ceiling for him to reach both defensively and offensively.

Yes, there are other left defensemen out there, and, yes, there may be better, more expensive options on the trade block. But if the Penguins can acquire Byram's RFA rights at a reasonable cost asset-wise - which is a possibility - they absolutely should. It may cost the New York Rangers' first-round pick, but that may be a risk worth investing in.

If the Penguins are going to reinvent their blue line - one of the weakest links on their NHL roster - they need to start by acquiring someone like Byram. 

4 Left Defensemen The Penguins Should Target This Summer During his postseason press conference on Apr. 21, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> president of hockey operations and general manager <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/we-have-to-stick-to-a-very-concise-plan-and-then-execute-our-butts-off-dubas-clarifies-penguins-summer-plans">Kyle Dubas provided a glimpse</a> into what the summer could look like for the organization.

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