Trade Pitch Has Red Wings Acquiring $7.7 Million Defenseman From Rival

The Detroit Red Wings are in a fight for a playoff spot and a trade pitch has them bolstering its blue line.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquiring Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres.

Red Wings acquire:

• Bowen Byram

Sabres acquire:

• William Wallinder
• Jonatan Berggren
• 2025 first-round pick (Top-10 protected)

The proposed deal would be interesting as Detroit gets a top-four defenseman for a prospect, a first-round pick, and a depth NHL forward.

Byram is in the final year of his two-year $7.7 million deal and will be an RFA at the end of the contract. The defenseman was selected fourth overall in 2019 and was a key part of the Colorado Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Byram is just 23 so he fits in nicely in Detroit and could help anchor the blue line for years to come. This season, Byram has skated in 32 games recording 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points.

The big part of the return from Detroit would be the first-round pick and Wallinder who was selected in the second round in 2020. The defenseman is playing in the AHL and would replace Byram on the Sabres’ blue line. This season in the AHL, he’s skated in 17 games recording 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points.

Berggren, meanwhile, is a bottom-six forward and would be a nice depth player for Buffalo. He’s in the midst of a one-year $825,000 deal. He’s skated in 30 games recording 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points.

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Byram a Trade Candidate

Despite Byram playing a key role on the Sabres and being young, his name has come up in trade talks.

Ahead of the 2025 NHL trade deadline, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston released his trade board and had Byram ranked 16th on his list.

“The Sabres certainly aren’t shopping the 23-year-old defenseman. But, he may be the piece they have to put in play in order to make a significant shakeup,” Johnston wrote. “Byram is an elite skater who can log big minutes and should still have his best and most productive seasons ahead. He’s also due for a new contract after the season as a pending restricted free agent. The Sabres control his rights, but they’re a team with a lot of money and years already tied up in their blue line, so decisions are looming.”

Byram is an offensive defenseman who could run a team’s power play. He also has playoff experience and was part of a Stanley Cup-winning team.

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Red Wings Defenseman Suffers Injury

Detroit picked up a big win on December 18 but did have a key injury.

Simon Edvinsson didn’t return after exiting early in the second period because of an upper-body injury.

“Obviously, he only played a handful of minutes there,” coach Derek Lalonde said about Edvinsson. “Really good on our D-core. To play most of the game with five D, and a lot of those D are not accustomed to playing top-four minutes, I thought they gutted it out.”

The Red Wings will return to the ice on December 20 against the Montreal Canadiens.

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