Aarif Deen
Just over two years after departing the Colorado Avalanche, Bowen Byram is on the move again, and he’s heading back to the Central Division.
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired the former Avalanche draft pick and 2022 Stanley Cup champion from the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, paying a hefty price to do it. In exchange for him and forward Jordan Greenway, Chicago sent the No. 4 and 45th overall picks in this weekend’s draft to Buffalo, along with towering defenseman Louis Crevier.
Byram had a career season with the Sabres this past season, scoring 11 goals and posting 42 points in 82 games. He had four goals and seven points in 13 postseason games, playing playoff hockey for the first time since departing the Avalanche.
There’s no question that this is going to be his best opportunity to excel as a No. 1 defenseman. It’s what he’s always wanted.
Basically, it’s sink-or-swim time for the 25-year-old given the lack of top-end blueliners ahead of him on the depth chart. In Colorado, Byram often played behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews. When the Avs traded him to Buffalo, he found himself in a similar situation, as the Sabres already had two defensemen they drafted No. 1 overall in Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.
He won’t have anywhere close to that level of help in Chicago. At least not yet. With the Blackhawks, he’ll be relied on to be the No. 1 defenseman. He’s going to play big minutes on the power play, likely on the penalty kill, too. If all goes well, he’ll likely be one of the most-used blueliners in the league in general and could develop into a leadership role alongside Connor Bedard.
Even with all the potential and the possible best-case scenario, it’s still quite the price to pay. The No. 4 overall pick this year is likely going to land a future star. The 2026 draft is loaded with top end talent among the first five or six picks. Whether the Sabres use the pick or trade it elsewhere to boost their roster has yet to be determined.
Still, the Sabres did really well here. They acquired Byram from the Avs for Casey Mittelstadt in 2024. The Avalanche eventually overpaid to get rid of Mittelstadt, while Buffalo was able to maximize Byram’s value at an opportune time.
Looking back, both trades that involved Casey Mittelstadt, a year apart, will likely go down as the two worst deals of Chris MacFarland’s four-year tenure as Avalanche general manager.
Byram was drafted No. 4 overall in 2019 by Colorado. He was a key contributor during the Stanley Cup run before eventually being used as a trade chip to try to fill the hole at 2C.