Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bo Byram has been a solid player since he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last March in a trade for Casey Mittelstadt.
With that being said, I think we’ve seen huge improvement from the 23-year-old this season to the point that many nights, he’s Buffalo’s best defenseman.
He pairs very well with Rasmus Dahlin, and there have been only five games where he hasn't been well over 20 minutes per-game. He’s 34th in the NHL with an average ice-time of 23:09.
This has been an excellent trade for the Sabres, and Byram will become a restricted free agent this coming July 1. I think it’s essential the Sabres find a way to keep Byram and re-sign him. However, when I asked him if he was open to signing a long-term deal and staying here, he says it depends on a number of factors.
"I’m just trying to worry about my job and playing as hard as I can, and trying to help the team win. So to be honest, I haven’t put much thought into that this year," said Byram after practice this week. "I’m trying to keep that out of my mind, so it’s not something I’m too worried about. When those conversations come up, me, my family and my agents will have discussions about it, and decide what the best route is."
One area of mass improvement I’ve seen from Byram is how he’s blocking shots. It seems like in key situations late in games, he’s getting in those shot and passing lanes, causing stress for the other teams.
Byram is third on the Sabres with 78 blocked shots this season, while Owen Power is their leader with 82. Byram says there’s no real secret to it.
"It’s a timing thing," he said. "Sometimes if you bite too early on the shot, they can maybe get around you, so just trying to time it to when you think they’re going to release it."
As those minutes have gone up, it seems like Byram gets better.
"I think I’m just trying to play a good defensive game. That’s something I’ve really tried to focus on this year, and I feel like I’ve taken good strides in that area of the game. And then I try to contribute as much as I can offensively," Byram noted. "I’ve just been trying to play hard and focus on the defensive side of the puck, because the better you get at it, the more you’re going to be trusted and the more you’re going to play."
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff has liked what he’s seen out of Byram.
"I think we’re seeing a really good version of Bo right now," said Ruff on Wednesday. "Sometimes a guy’s game can go a little off the rails if he tries too hard offensively, so he’s got a good combination of getting in the play and being back there when 'Dahls' [Dahlin] is involved."
Byram has six goals and 21 assists for 27 points in 53 games this season. That gives him one more point than Dylan Cozens, and seven more points than Jack Quinn.
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Tage Thompson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Mattias Samuelsson watched Wednesday’s practice from the bench. Beck Malenstyn also missed practice with back spasms, while Cozens had some lower-body aggravation, and is questionable for Saturday.
Tyson Kozak returned to practice, though, after losing seven pounds due to an illness.
Meanwhile, goalie Felix Sandstrom remained up from Rochester for practice.
The players said Wednesday Jason Zucker rolled out some wooden sticks for practice. I was wondering if many of the players had ever used one.
Jiri Kulich is only 20-years-old, but he said when he was a kid back in Czechia, his brother had wooden sticks, and his father made Jiri use them after his brother was done with them.
I think it took one shot from the slot for Kulich to break his wooden stick.