The Buffalo Sabres are coming off of essentially their most successful season in 20 years. They won the NHL’s Atlantic Division for the first time since 2010 and won a Stanley Cup Playoff round for the first time since 2007. They are a team that’s built correctly with a tenured head coach, Lindy Ruff, steering the ship. A lot of their strength as a team comes from their blueline. Their top four defencemen all played solid defence and knew how to chip in offensively. Now, one of those defenders may be on the trade block.
Credit Image: © Anthony Nesmith/Cal Sport Media
NHL Rumours and the Buffalo Blueline Bowen Byram
Rumour: According to Darren Dreger, multiple teams are exploring a trade for defenceman Bowen Byram.
Multiple teams exploring a trade with the Buffalo Sabres involving Dman, Bo Byram. Byram has 1 yr left on his contract before becoming an unrestricted Free Agent. Agent, Darren Ferris has some history with marching players to the open market. Motivation for trade consideration.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 18, 2026
Analysis: Trading Bowen Byram would be a big swing for the team that lands him and also for the Sabres. Byram has one more year left on his contract at $6.25 million. July 1st, 2027 is when Byram would be set to become a unrestricted free agent. The projected market value for Byram will be around $9-$10 million per year on the open market.
Why a Byram Trade Makes Sense
Buffalo has some massive contracts to defencemen already on their books. Including $11 million per year for Rasmus Dahlin for another six seasons. As well as $8.35 million for Owen Power for another five seasons. Those are top dollar deals for their two most recent number one overall picks. Byram is a very good player for Buffalo to have, but it remains unclear whether they want to commit to him with another hefty contract on their backend.
The other aspect for a Byram trade is that he may never reach his full potential in Buffalo. Dahlin will always be the number one defenceman in Buffalo. He’s a young superstar coming off of his first Norris Trophy nomination. After a season with personal matters that got him nominated for the Masterton Trophy for comeback player of the year. With Power also in the mix, it doesn’t feel like he’ll ever become a true number one defender even if Dahlin gets hurt. A trade out of Buffalo might pave the way for Byram to become the number one defenceman he has the potential to be.
Bowen Byram is once again on the trade block. He had his best season in a while with the Sabres last year, putting his solid tools (wheels, puck-carrying, individual chance creation) to solid use in a 22-minute-a-night role. Still not a massive analytical darling though. pic.twitter.com/gklR4P4FDz
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 18, 2026
Why a Byram Trade Doesn’t Make Sense from NHL Rumours
Buffalo is very happy to have the top four defenceman that they have. Mattias Samuelsson took his game to a new level this season. For instance, he had career highs in points and goals, earning himself minutes on the top pair with Dahlin. The Sabres are happy to have Byram on their second pair with defenceman Owen Power. Power took some serious strides this season with his game. In large part he finally had a consistent partner in Byram after years of different defenders rotating in on that second pair with him.
Even if the Sabres have to open their wallets to keep Byram around, they’d be happy to have this core four locked up. Samuelsson has four more years left on his current contract, and he’d be the first guy to need another contract if they can get a Byram deal done. Dahlin and Samuelsson are both 26-years-old, and they’re the oldest of the four defenders. Buffalo should not be afraid to have a lot of money invested in this blueline. It was one of their largest strengths as a team and having four quality young defenders locked up going into their primes is right where they want to be.
Other Factors in a Byram Trade
If Buffalo moved on from Byram as per our NHL Rumours, it’s likely that they’d want pieces that can help them win now. Whatever team trades for Byram would likely have to give up a solid offensive piece. However, if Buffalo goes the picks and prospects route, that would likely give them the space for an Alex Tuch extension. As well as flexibility for other young players such as Zach Benson.
Signing a 66-point top line forward to an extension may be more of a priority than signing their third or fourth best defencemen to a $9-$10 million dollar deal. The Sabres do still have Radim Mrtka waiting in the wings. The ninth overall pick from last years draft may not be ready for the NHL, but he is certainly a much cheaper option that Byram would be.
Lastly in NHL Rumours, the team just moved off of Michael Kesselring in a trade with the San Jose Sharks. Kesselring would have been the defencemen to step into that top four role. Without him in the mix, it doesn’t appear Buffalo has a top four capable defender ready for that position unless they acquired one in the trade.
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
