Even rebuilding teams need hockey players in their prime.
This is one of the main reasons why the Boston Bruins will hold onto players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman. However, the team needs to ice more competent defenders, and Heavy.com has proposed a trade to acquire Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Pavel Zacha.
Bruins Acquire:
Bowen Byram
Sabres Acquire:
Pavel Zacha
With this proposed trade, both teams walk away achieving their respective goals. For the Sabres, they acquire a top-six forward. And, for the Bruins, they add a versatile defender who can play on the left or right side.
Bowen Byram Gives The Bruins Much-Needed Depth
Having too many good defenders is a problem that 32 NHL teams would love to have. According to PuckPedia, the Bruins have McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Mason Lohrei, Henri Jokiharju, Andrew Peeke, and Jordan Harris signed to NHL deals.
Three of those blueliners are certified top-four performers: McAvoy, Lindholm, and Zadorov. By acquiring Byram, they add a fourth player to the mix. The biggest draw to adding a player like Byram is his ability to play either side.
The left-handed 24-year-old defender spent 40.9 percent of his ice time last season with Rasmus Dahlin. Byram also spent 20 percent of his playing time alongside Owen Power. Dahlin and Power are both left-handed. Whenever you can add a player who gives the coach flexibility with the lineup, that’s a chance worth taking.
Additionally, Byram has a skill set that would benefit the Bruins. His 38 points accumulated in 2024-25 are higher than any other defender on the Bruins.
With this flexibility at their disposal, a pairing of Byram – Zadorov or Byram – Lindholm is not difficult to envision.
Zacha Fits In With Sabres Top-Six
Zacha finished the 2024-25 season tied for the third-most points with the Bruins. He recorded 47 points in 82 games. His only teammates to record more points than he did were Pastrnak (106) and Morgan Geekie (57).
Looking at the Sabres roster, they had four forwards record more points than Zacha did this season: Tage Thompson (72), Alex Tuch (67), Jason Zucker (53), and Ryan McLeod (53).
The addition of Zacha gives the Sabres more offense to inject into their top-six forward group. McLeod can easily slide down the lineup or move to the wing to accommodate an acquisition.
Zacha played 19:04 per game this past regular season. Only Tuch (19:15) played more than he did out of the Sabres’ forward group. His ability to play a lot of minutes and contribute offensively makes him a great fit to give the Sabres the boost their forward group needs.
But, Didn’t Buffalo Just Sign Byram?
Not too long ago, the Sabres and Byram agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $6.25 million per year. Sadly for the Sabres, this might not be enough to keep the budding blueliner around.
The Fourth Period is reporting that, “Bowen Byram remains a prime candidate for the Sabres to move at some point this offseason.” As for what the Sabres are looking for, “Buffalo’s desire is to add a top-six forward.”
The contract extension cooled down the trade talks (for now) in addition to allowing both parties to avoid the salary arbitration process.
The Fourth Period reports that the Bruins aren’t the only team interested in the minute-munching defender. The Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and Vegas Golden Knights have also expressed varying degrees of interest.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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