NHL News: Sabres' Bowen Byram Reportedly Wants to Play for Canucks

The Buffalo Sabres are expected to make some significant changes to their roster this summer, and according to reports, defenceman Bowen Byram is a prime trade candidate. Turns out Byram may have a preferred destination in trade talks.

According to Colorado Avalanche reporter Adrian Dater is now saying he believes Byram ‘wants to be a Canuck. Byram, 24, is from Cranbrook, BC, and last season in 82 games with the Sabres, recorded seven goals and 38 points. In 246 career games split between the Sabres and Colorado Avalanche, Byram has scored 33 goals, and 110 points. He's also chipped in with 12 assists in 27 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Avs.

Byram is a restricted free agent with two seasons left before he comes an unrestricted free agent. The Sabres have plenty of salary cap space to work a deal out, but at this time, according to the reports, Byram prefers to be moved, and out west specifically.

The Sabres are a team to watch when it comes to major roster moves this summer. Not only will Byram likely be moved, the same can be said for Alex Tuch, and potentially Owen Power, and JJ Peterka. All three big names have been included in trade talks of late, so don't be surprised if a big deal goes down as soon as the NHL draft next week.

Bowen Byram is the perfect example that certain analytics are a tool and not the end all be all

The chart is ugly but if you take a deeper dive into his micro stats, you can see he is one of the better puck movers and offensive defenseman in hockey

Just really struggled to… pic.twitter.com/1iQWKA9XmX
— NYR Louie ™️ (@NYRLouie) June 11, 2025