The Buffalo Sabres got it right on Tuesday, trading Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks. The deal, which included a sizeable haul headlined by the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, helps the organization by ending speculation regarding the 25-year-old’s future with the team.
While the trade was a solid one, a question emerges: Who will replace Byram on the Sabres’ blue line next season?
The immediate answer is newly acquired, Louis Crevier. Crevier is also 25 and one of those late-round gems that don’t always come up. The right-shot D-man played in 78 games this past season, scoring seven goals and 25 points. That’s not bad, especially when considering he’s 6’8” and 227 pounds.
That’s the sort of size and punch that the Sabres need.
But long-term, the Sabres have a unique opportunity to draft Byram’s replacement, and then some.
The 2026 NHL Draft is loaded with high-end defensemen. Assuming the Sabres don’t flip the fourth overall pick, the organization has an opportunity to take a prized defensive prospect like Chase Reid or Carson Carels.
Let’s assume for a minute that Gavin McKenna goes first to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ivar Stenberg goes to the San Jose Sharks. That leaves the Vancouver Canucks at No. 3 with the option of taking a defenseman like Reid or a forward like Caleb Malhotra.
Suppose the Canucks follow through and take Malhotra. That would leave the Sabres at No. 4, free to take Reid. As Corey Pronman noted in his draft rankings in The Athletic, Reid is his top prospect in this year’s draft. Pronman believes that Reid could be a top-pairing blueliner with the potential to become a power-play quarterback.
One of the most notable comparables for Reid is Seth Jones. That’s not bad, especially when the Sabres would need someone to deliver secondary scoring from the blue line beyond Rasmus Dahlin.
Sabres also have other options beyond Chase Reid
Let’s assume for a minute that the Canucks buck the trend a little bit and pluck Reid at No. 3. That leaves the Sabres with an interesting option: Take Malhotra or another blueliner.
Buffalo could go ahead and land Carels or Keaton Verhoeff with the pick.
Pronman ranked Verhoeff as the third-best prospect in this year’s class. The 6’3”, 212-pound blueliner is considered to have the best combination of size and skill. While he doesn’t necessarily project as a top-pairing blueliner, he’s drawn comparisons to Aaron Ekblad.
That’s nothing to sneeze at if you’re Buffalo.
As for Carels, he’s ranked seventh on Pronman’s list. Carels has drawn comparisons to Ryan McDonagh, making him a solid defensive defenseman. That’s not a bad way to go, especially when considering just how valuable shutdown blueliners can be.
The Sabres have a unique opportunity to transform one former fourth overall pick into another one at this year’s draft. Unless the Sabres sort of go against the grain and take a forward, there’s a very good chance that picking a defenseman at this slot could yield a high-end replacement for the departed Byram, even if it’s in a couple of years.
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