Bowen Byram
Bowen Byram came to the City of Good Neighbours in the Casey Mittelstadt trade in what was more of a swap between a pair of young, talented players. Byram put together a phenomenal sample size and made much more of an impact throughout his 18 games in Buffalo than he did during 55 contests with the Colorado Avalanche.
He had just 20 points and eight goals in those 55 games before scoring three times and logging nine points across 18 games with the Sabres. Byram also brought even more physicality with 34 hits while recording just 60 in Denver, and he stole the puck seven times. Finally, Byram’s average total ice time sat at 21:51, two full minutes more than what he was getting with the Avs.
You look at these numbers, and it’s safe to say Byram is on the right track, but because he’s also injury-prone and has a small sample size of games with the Blue and Gold, let’s not expect Adams to sign him to an extension just yet.
Byram would need to enjoy an outstanding season to sign long-term, especially if someone like JJ Peterka likely has the first priority here. But if Byram continues where he left off when last season ended, the pending 2025 restricted free agent will sign a new deal, likely a bridge.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)