If the Sabres trade Bowen Byram this offseason, the fanbase needs to call for owner Terry Pegula to cut ties with Kevyn Adams. One reason is that Byram played too good of a season to see the Blue and Gold just move him somewhere else.
While he didn’t match former No. 1 overall pick Owen Power in points, it’s a foregone conclusion that Byram enjoyed a better season. Who was the more physical player? Byram. Who was more effective in the defensive zone? Byram. Yeah, Power had two more assists, and that’s about all he had going for him in the tale of the tape.
Grade: B-plus - Byram, right now, is the Sabres second-best defenseman behind Rasmus Dahlin. That honor should go to Owen Power, but if you’re looking for a three-zone player who isn’t afraid to hit or do the dirty work, it’s Byram. He’s been reliable since he arrived in Buffalo, unlike so many other players out there who impress for a few games before tailing off.
Bowen Byram’s 2024-25 season wasn’t great, but it was solid
I’ve come to accept the fact that Bowen Byram probably won’t be a great player in this league. But even most of the elite teams in the NHL have only a few stars. As for the Sabres, they have two players with superstar potential, Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson.
But Byram makes up that second tier of players, and it shows with his output. He’s got a two-way, three-zone game, and it shows with seven goals, 38 points, a plus-11, 22:42 of average total ice time, 116 blocks, and 75 hits.
None of those numbers are spectacular, but if you give the Sabres defensive rotation one more player of Byram’s caliber, that alone will inch them closer to busting through their never-ending playoff drought.
He’s been reliable, and you can’t say the same about others on the rotation like Power, Mattias Samuelsson, or Connor Clifton. Maybe Jacob Bernard-Docker will surprise us in 2025-26 like he did after coming to Buffalo this past season and transform into a Byram-like player. But right now, that’s the solace Byram brings.
What will Bowen Byram’s season look like in 2025-26?
Expect Byram, assuming he sticks around where he belongs, to build on what was a solid year. No, he’s not putting up more than 50 points. Ever. But he can evolve into someone who may annually put up between 45 and 49, and threaten 10 goals a time or two.
He’ll inch closer to triple digits in hits and continue to invade shooting lanes. And Byram will grow completely into the Sabres version of Mr. Reliable. He’s a good player, and many outside of Buffalo won’t appreciate his efforts. But he’ll continue to fly under the radar and keep transforming into that player who opponents must account for, regardless of where he is on the ice.
But for all this to happen, he needs to stick around and keep helping the Blue and Gold claw their way into breaking through that playoff drought. And he’ll serve as yet another example that you don’t need to be a star or even a great player to make an impact for your team.