It is only 15 games into the 2025-26 season but for the Buffalo Sabres they need to be proactive if they want to save their season. They unfortunately have been dealing with a number of injuries that has factored into the rough start but they have also seen some players underwhelm with their performance.
One of those players has been defenseman Bo Byram, who has played in every game this season for Buffalo, but has only five points and a +/- of -6. He has struggled, and the coaching staff has moved him around to find a pair that works, as he has played at least 25 minutes with Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Kesselring, Connor Timmins, and Owen Power. Unfortunately, the only pair that has an xGoals % over 55% was with Power, according to MoneyPuck.
During the summer, Byram was a popular name in trade rumors around the league. At the time, he was a restricted free agent and the Sabres were struggling to reach a new deal with him.
He would ultimately sign a two-year deal, which could end up working out well as it is a contract that might be attractive to teams. Byram's value has probably dropped but teams might still believe they can help him turn his career around and will have some time. If he doesn't show improvement, then they can trade him next season as a rental player.
These were four teams that were rumored to be interested in Bo Byram prior to signing his contract extension with Buffalo that the Sabres should be calling to see if they still have some interest.
Vancouver Canucks
At the end of June, TSN's Darren Dreger was on the Barn Burner Podcast and mentioned three teams that were after Bo Byram. He noted that the Vancouver Canucks were the team that was after him the most, and this is one of the first teams the Sabres should be calling.
The Cancucks have gotten off to a decent start this season with an 8-8-1 record, but could use an upgrade to their blueline as they have three defenseman with an xGF% under 45%, according to Natural Stat Trick, including former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers.
Vegas Golden Knights
Another team that Darren Dreger mentioned was the Vegas Golden Knights, and they are a team that has shown to always be aggressive and willing to strike a deal. However, they are already five points behind the surprising Anaheim Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division with 23 points.
They may be willing to make a trade sooner rather than later to bolster their defense, and Byram would be an improvement over Jeremy Lauzon. The Golden Knights are a Stanley Cup contender and a move like this only moves them closer to making that a reality.
Los Angeles Kings
The last team that Dreger mentioned is another Pacific Division team in the Los Angeles Kings. At the time of the rumor, the Kings had a number of questions for their defense as they had traded Jordan Spence to Ottawa and were on the verge of losing Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency.
Since then, they agreed to long-term deals with Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin that make a potential trade for Bo Byram unlikely. Could the Sabres offer a package of Byram, young prospects, and draft picks for someone like Brandt Clarke? That might be the only way forward to get a deal done but at least is worth a call.
St. Louis Blues
The last team is one that Darren Dreger didn't mention, but after his appearance on the podcast, Jeremy Rutherford with The Athletic mentioned the St. Louis Blues as a team 'trying hard" to get Bo Byram. The Blues find themselves in a similar situation as the Sabres in that they are struggling and their season seems to be slipping away unless they make a trade.
They are 2-6-2 over their past 10 games, but one of those wins was over the Buffalo Sabres when they shut them out to win 3-0. The Blues are looking to make changes to their blueline and recently called up Hunter Skinner to send down Logan Mailloux to give the young defenseman 'a reset.'