The Toronto Maple Leafs have certainly had an aggressive start to the 2026 NHL Offseason. New Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka made his first trade with the Original Six club when he sent goaltender Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers in a multi-player deal. He then pulled off a blockbuster sign-and-trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 70-point defenseman Darren Raddysh.
Yet, when looking at how this past season went for the Maple Leafs, it is clear that they should not be done making moves. They still have multiple roster needs to address as they continue their retool, and one of them is a star defenseman for the left side of their blueline.
Because of this, the Maple Leafs are now being viewed as a potential landing spot for one of the NHL’s top trade candidates from the Buffalo Sabres.
Maple Leafs Named a Top Potential Landing Spot for Sabres Star Defenseman Bowen Byram
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Joe Yerdon discussed seven potential landing spots for Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. The left-shot defenseman has been the subject of trade rumors again early on this offseason as he enters the final season of his contract in 2026-27.
Among the teams that Yerdon listed as a trade fit for Byram was the Maple Leafs.
“Byram would give them a puck mover on defense they haven’t had since Morgan Rielly’s prime years, and you could argue Byram’s offensive skills are higher. The Leafs are in a spot where they more or less have to go for it to maximize Auston Matthews and William Nylander’s prime years and getting aggressive to add Byram would definitely do that,” Yerdon wrote.
The idea of the Maple Leafs swinging a trade for Byram is certainly a fascinating one. At 25 years old, he is young enough that he could be a long-term part of the Maple Leafs’ core as they continue retooling. That is assuming that a trade for Byram would lead to the star blueliner signing a contract extension with Toronto, of course.
If the Maple Leafs landed Byram, he could slot nicely on the left side of their top pairing. He would also give them another defenseman who can work on both the power play and penalty kill if brought in. With this, Byram would have the potential to be a great addition to the Maple Leafs’ roster.
Maple Leafs Would Have A Lot of Competition to Land Byram From the Sabres
With Byram being a young star defenseman coming off a strong season, there is no question that he is going to have several suitors this offseason. Because of this, if the Maple Leafs make a run at the Sabres defenseman, they are going to have plenty of competition to land his services.
Byram was a big reason for the Sabres’ turnaround in 2025-26, as he scored 11 goals and recorded a career-high 42 points in 82 games. With numbers like these, he would be a nice pickup for a Maple Leafs club that is looking to bounce back next season.
It will be interesting to see if the Maple Leafs can swing a deal for Byram this offseason. The fit looks very strong on paper.
Maple Leafs Named Trade Landing Spot for Sabres Star Defender