The general consensus shortly after the Bowen Byram trade was announced was that the Chicago Blackhawks had overpaid and the Buffalo Sabres were the clear winner. There is no denying that the Sabres certainly won a trade for a player who made it clear he was not going to re-sign with them after the season, or even willing to discuss a new contract.
However, the Blackhawks may not have overpaid as much as fans think, as another team could have been offering a comparable package. According to John Buccigross, the San Jose Sharks were "nibbling" around Byram and were offering the ninth overall pick, the 27th overall pick, and a prospect.
If the Sabres ended up taking that deal, it would have been the second time in less than a week they completed a trade, and it would have brought back their original first-round pick that they sent alongside Michael Kesselring to move up to 20th overall.
In that trade scenario, the Sabres would have had three first-round picks, but they wouldn't have been as high with their first pick just being inside the Top 10.
Buffalo Sabres were smart to go with the higher draft pick the Chicago Blackhawks were offering
While three first-round picks would have been great, the Sabres were smart to ultimately take the Blackhawks offer and get the fourth overall pick and the 45th overall pick, which is a second-round pick. Prior to the Byram trade being announced, assistant general manager Jerry Forton talked on Sabres' Live about how there is a drop-off potentially after 20.
It didn't make sense for them to bring back that pick after they decided there wasn't likely to be a player there they would want to pick.
If the Sharks deal was the only one they were getting for Byram, then it still would have ended up as a great move. It would make it easier for them to package the three first-round picks and add an impact player who can help them right now.
Now, with the fourth overall pick, it is worth more of a discussion if they want to trade it or use it to select one of the top prospects in this class. The value is certainly higher with that pick if they do decide to trade it. However, knowing they have the 20th overall pick, an extra second, but also now an extra third after the sign-and-trade with Washington for Alex Tuch, they could still improve the roster now and use that fourth overall pick on an elite prospect.
Jarmo Kekalainen has already made it clear that he will be aggressive and the fact that he had two excellent offers in front of him, shows he is able to maximize value with whatever direction he wants to go.
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