Report: ‘Multiple teams’ exploring trade for Sabres’ Bowen Byram

The Buffalo Sabres are coming off their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in well over a decade, but a loss in the second round to the Montreal Canadiens means that in his first offseason in charge, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has work to do

Kekalainen already made a major trade on Wednesday when he shipped Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks to move up from the No. 27 overall pick to the No. 20 overall pick in this month’s NHL Draft.

Now, it seems like another defenseman may be on the outs in Buffalo. According to a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger, multiple teams have checked in with Kekalainen about a deal for Bowen Byram.

This would not be Byram’s first time on the trade block. The talented left-shot defenseman began his career with the Colorado Avalanche, who chose him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. After parts of four seasons in Denver, the Avs moved him to the Sabres in a one-for-one trade for forward Casey Mittelstadt.

In his two full seasons with Buffalo, Byram has appeared in all 82 games and set career bests in terms of offensive production. The 25-year-old posted 38 points in the 2024-25 campaign before following that up with a 42-point effort this regular season.

Byram has one year left on a two-year pact he signed with the Sabres that carries a salary cap hit of $6.25 million. Byram will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but he will also be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027.

The British Columbia native has never thrived in terms of analytics; he posted a 48.36 percent expected goals share at 5-on-5 this season on a team that finished with a 53.68% ratio as a whole, but his raw physical tools make him an intriguing possibility for any team that felt like they can unlock more consistent all-around play.