The Sabres have signed restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram before their arbitration hearing. It’s a two-year contract worth $6.25M per season. His total contract is worth $12.5M in total, and he could still be part of a sign-and-trade involving multiple NHL teams.
Byram has been in trade speculation all offseason ahead of what he hoped would be a big payday for him. Instead, he settled for a bridge deal, one that notably puts him in his first free agent-eligible year in 2027, giving him better earning potential on a long-term deal than he has now, assuming he continues an upward trajectory.
While few things have gone right for the Sabres in the last decade-plus, that trade 1-for-1 for Casey Mittelstadt was one of them. Byram’s best NHL season came last year in top-pairing deployment with Rasmus Dahlin. Byram managed a career-high with 38 points and a +11 plus-minus rating while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game and playing in all 82 games
He’s now missed just nine games over the last two years after missing more than half of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons combined. Sabres fans should feel relieved holding onto Byram as he can not only be a franchise defenseman, but can also propel this team to the playoffs.