The Chicago Blackhawks are closing in on a trade for Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram ahead of Friday’s 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first broke news of a pending deal, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported the full details of the trade.
“Full trade, per sources:
To #Blackhawks:
LD Bowen Byram
LW Jordan Greenway
To #Sabres:
2026 CHI 1st Round Pick (No. 4 overall)
2026 NYI 2nd Round Pick (No. 45 overall)
LD Louis Crevier”
To #Blackhawks: LD Bowen Byram LW Jordan Greenway
To #Sabres: 2026 CHI 1st Round Pick (No. 4 overall) 2026 NYI 2nd Round Pick (No. 45 overall) LD Louis Crevier
Bowen Byram Needs a New Contract
The 25-year-old Byram is entering the final season of his current contract, which carries a $6.25 million cap hit for next season.
Byram is going to want a hefty raise on his next deal, and Buffalo was going to find that difficult to do since the team is already tight up against the cap. Instead, they’ll make that problem Chicago’s as they are going to trade Byram away to the Blackhawks and bring in the No. 4 pick, who will be on a cheap entry-level deal.
Byram was drafted fourth overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, and he won the Stanley Cup in Colorado in 2022. After playing four seasons in Colorado, the team traded him to the Sabres for center Casey Mittelstadt in a trade that Colorado would surely love to have back.
In his first season in Buffalo, Byram played 82 games and scored 7 goals and 38 points, before playing 82 games this past season and chipping in 11 goals and 42 points to help the Sabres win the Atlantic Division for the first time in franchise history.
Given he’s only 25 and is still improving, look for Byram to get a seven-year contract with an annual average value over $10 million per season on his next contract, which will presumably be with the Blackhawks.
Win-Win Trade for Both Teams
Though Chicago paid a high price to acquire Byram from Buffalo, this looks like it could be a win-win trade for both teams.
For the Sabres, they will clear some important cap space since they won’t have to re-sign Byram to a big contract, while getting back a high pick in Friday’s draft, where they can acquire a blue-chip prospect.
For the Blackhawks, they are at the point in their rebuild where having more prospects isn’t going to help them, as they need more proven talent on their team. While giving up the No. 4 pick for Byram is a high price to pay, Chicago felt like it was worth it to acquire a young defenseman who is a proven top-four defender who still has untapped potential. He’ll help out Chicago’s defense as they look to make a playoff push next season.
Overall, both teams got what they wanted out of this deal, although it does look a bit like an overpay from Chicago given that Byram needs a new contract. But again, the Blackhawks felt that he was the missing piece as the team looks to improve its defense, while for Buffalo, they get a couple of nice draft picks and a young defender in return.
Blackhawks Closing in on Bowen Byram Trade