Insiders Say Sabres' Byram Signing Accelerates Trade Talks

Bowen Byram is still on the Buffalo Sabres trade block, despite signing a 2-year extension

It was a surprising turn of events when the Buffalo Sabres, instead of announcing a sign-and-trade of RFA Bowen Byram, announced Monday late-night that they had signed the defenseman to a two-year extension with a moderate $6.25 million cap hit.

Insiders David Pagnotta and Jeff Marek were speaking on the latter's Daily Faceoff podcast The Sheet, and agreed that a trade of the 24-year-old Byram is certainly not off the table after this signing. Far from it.

"He gets his two-year contract," said Pagnotta. "Does that help facilitate a trade, knowing that that portion's taken out of the way?" he asked Marek, who responded in the affirmative:

I think it does. I really do. I think that, all of a sudden, now, that question has been answered... Because I believe there's a feeling internally that the blueline is too young, and that they've spent too long with too many young players here and they need some veterans in the top-four.

Byram, 24, currently fills out a top-four defense corps of Rasmus Dahlin, 25, Owen Power, 22, and newcomer Michael Kesselring, 25 (acquired in the JJ Peterka sign-and-trade). 5th defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is also 25.

On top of all that, Pagnotta notes, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is trying to upgrade his talent in the top-six up front, which further keeps Byram firmly placed on the trade block.

"If they can even move out Byram and bring in somebody to help stabilize that top-six, that's something that I think they would like to do...

"You've got the foundational pieces (Dahlin, Power, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch), now you've gotta find the right complementary pieces to go along with that... Whatever the return is (for Byram) it's gonna be to benefit this club now."

Safe to say that the Bowen Byram interested parties around the league are not discouraged from still trying to work out a trade. The only issue that the signing does cause, however, is that now his two-year deal walks him right to unrestricted free agency in 2027.