For a team that has not played a single postseason game in 14 years â and has not finished better than fifth in the Atlantic Division in 13 years â the Buffalo Sabres have been at the center of a lot of drama since the 2024-2025 season ended.
And in the eye of the storm has been one player â 24-year-old defenseman Bowen Byram.
Byram’s two-year, $7 million contract expired at the end of the season, making him a restricted free agent as of July 1. But unlike Buffalo’s other top RFA, winger J.J. Peterka who was quickly traded to the Utah Mammoth on June 25, the 2019 No. 4 overall draft pick remains without a contract from any team.
On Wednesday, however, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams revealed his decision on Byram’s future with the organization, as trade rumors from multiple teams swirled around the Cranbrook, British Columbia, native.
Byram has been variously linked to the Detroit Red Wings, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and even the Mammoth where he would rejoin Peterka.
Byram Gave Strong Indication He Wants Out
Though he said in May that he could “for sure” see himself staying in Buffalo, Byram appeared to also give a rather strong indication that he wants out. Not long after giving Sabres fans that reassurance, he reportedly packed up his home in Buffalo with the help if his family and vanished from the city.
Nonetheless, according to the statement by Adams, made in an interview with Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, Byram isn’t going anywhere.
Well, probably not.
Adams declined to completely close the door on a trade for Byram, but said that keeping the defender â who has scored 10 goals with 37 assists in the 100 games he has played for Buffalo â was “absolutely” his intention, and that the Sabres would match any offer sheet that Byram received.
Because Bryam is a restricted free agent, Buffalo has the right of first refusal on signing him, as long as they meet any other contract offer he receives.
âA lot of conversations with his agent right now and nothingâs changed in the sense that we believe Bo is an excellent hockey player who can help our team win,â Adams told The Athletic. âI maintain the same position that if thereâs a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster, weâre open to it.
Adams: Sabres Not Looking at Trades For Byram
“If thereâs not,” Adams continued in the interview, “weâre not in a situation where weâre looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that. For me, we want to help our team win hockey games, and he does that.â
According to a report by Buffalo television station WIVB on Wednesday, Byram is expected to receive a substantial raise over the $4.62 million he received, according to the sports business site Spotrac, in the just-completed season.
The station reported that the Sabres are “currently projected to have about $12 million in salary cap space, and Byramâs contract would likely account for at least half of that.”
In other words, Byram is projected to be paid a minimum of $6 million next season alone. But according to Adams, Buffalo is willing to match that figure if the star defenseman receives an offer sheet from another NHL team.
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