Buffalo Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen opened the 2026 NHL offseason by stating he was hopeful of signing Bowen Byram to a contract extension.
It quickly became clear that wasn't in the cards, however, and the Sabres ultimately decided to trade the former Colorado Avalanche standout to the Chicago Blackhawks, who were prepared to give the 25-year-old blueliner a chance to become a No. 1 defenseman.
Byram discussed his departure from Western New York during an appearance Tuesday on the What Chaos! hockey show.
"I definitely have a lot of confidence in myself, or else I wouldn't have wanted to leave Buffalo. Buffalo's a great place to play. You know, I have a lot of tight buddies there. We had a great up-and-coming team but I knew that I wanted more and I wanted a challenge for myself. So yeah, super excited I ended up here [in Chicago]."Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram
The Hawks proceeded to give the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft a six-year, $75 million extension ($12.5 million AAV) that goes into effect next season.
Byram opened his Chicago tenure on a high note, scoring a hat trick in his preseason debut with the Western Conference club, but the start of the regular season has been quiet. He's yet to record a point in three games while accumulating a minus-three rating.
It's far too soon to draw any definitive conclusions with the Blackhawks struggling out of the gate, in part because of rising star Connor Bedard being out with a shoulder injury.
That said, there will definitely be some growing pains as Byram acclimates himself to the top spot on the defensive depth chart. He's always played more of a secondary role, first behind Cale Makar with the Avs and then Rasmus Dahlin with the Sabres.
What’s it like to bet on yourself? 😅 pic.twitter.com/WDwPvuQYOt
— What Chaos! (@WhatChaosShow) October 7, 2026
The 6-foot-1 Canadian is terrific in transition thanks to his high-end skating ability and he's coming off a career-high 42 points (11 goals and 31 assists) for Buffalo last season. His impact in the defensive zone has been far less consistent over the years.
So, it'll be an adjustment for him to face off against opponents' top lines on a regular basis, but that's a hurdle he was apparently eager to take on and, at some point, jump.
Byram already missed the Hawks' visit to Buffalo this season, and for good reason as his wife, Kailey, gave birth to twin girls that day, so his only meeting against his former team will come Nov. 12 when the Sabres make a stop at the United Center.
Sabres experimenting with defense pairs after Bowen Byram's departure
Buffalo's front office opted against filling the Byram void with a single player. It received Louis Crevier in the blockbuster deal with Chicago and used one of the other assets from that deal, the No. 45 selection in the 2026 draft, as part of a swap with the Anaheim Ducks for Olen Zellweger.
So far, the Sabres have been mixing and matching their defense pairs as a result.
Dahlin has spent most of his time alongside Mattias Samuelsson, which was also the case for a vast majority of the 2025-26 campaign, but Owen Power stepped into that role in a highly effective way when the Blue and Gold were trailing the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
Zellweger has received a chance to play with Power on the second pair, but Crevier should continue to see looks there, especially in defensively focused situations.
Zach Metsa and Matt Grzelcyk are also part of the blue-line equation for Buffalo while Conor Timmins recovers from a lower-body injury.
Instead of trying to establish three clear pairings, head coach Lindy Ruff is making frequent in-game changes based on the score and situation. The results haven't been perfect — the Sabres have allowed 11 goals through three games — but it's his best option until things stabilize.
It all circles back to much of the offseason conversation surrounding Buffalo.
While it's understandable Kekalainen decided to move on from Byram and winger Alex Tuch over the summer based on the circumstances, the lack of marquee acquisitions to help replace them raised legitimate questions about whether the club could take a step back this year.
It's a storyline that will continue to follow the Sabres until a clearer picture is formed about the direction of the team in 2026-27.
Buffalo will enter Thursday night's clash with the Dallas Stars owning a 2-1-0 record.
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