Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Last summer, the conversation we had was defenseman Bo Byram is still two years away from unrestricted free agency, so what will the Buffalo Sabres do? Byram told former general manager Kevyn Adams he understands that, and is totally willing to play those two seasons out and then see what happens.
What hockey insider Frank Seravalli said on his podcast, "Frankly Hockey", on Thursday is absolutely true, and is the same thing we were talking about last summer.
Byram has no problem at all with the Sabres as a franchise, his teammates or the City of Buffalo. He likes it here, but there one problem, and it's a problem that will exist as long as Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power are with the team: He wants to be a top-pair defenseman.
The fourth overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft set career-highs this season with 11 goals and 42 points in 82 games, and tied his career-high with 31 assists. He also was a career-best plus-15, but he's not on the top power play and is usually, but not always, on the penalty kill. Byram was also third on the team in time on-ice, averaging 22:20 per-game. That trailed Dahlin (24:11) and Samuelsson (22:50), and that's where he wants to be.
Another problem for the Sabres is Byram's agent is Darren Ferris, who encourages all his clients to test the market and go to free agency.
Buffalo doesn't have to do anything with Byram this season. He has one more year left on his contract before he is eligible for an extension in less than two weeks, starting July 1.
Before we discuss the options here, let's look back to locker room cleanout day and review what general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Byram had to say.
Remember, Byram is a player that just turned 25-years-old and has won the Stanley Cup already in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche.
Kekalainen believes in building from the back out, and also believes the Sabres have the best top-four defensive group in the NHL. He wants to get Byram to re-sign to a long-term deal to keep that top-four together.
“It’s very important, and I said that to Bo Byram today. I’d like to lock him up for a long time," Kekalainen said. "I think the top-four of our defense is our driver, our engine, and their mobility and ability to move the puck, ability to support offense and also play good defensively; there’s a lot of untapped potential there too. I think Bo’s still a young, and he can get better.”
As for Byram himself, he spent around 130 games in Buffalo - after being acquired in a trade from the Avalanche - losing, and losing badly. Then Dec. 9 came up and things turned drastically. Buffalo went from worst in the Eastern Conference to second place with a league-best record of 39-9-5.
Byram had talked about how much the losing bothered him, and he really enjoyed going to war with this group to get better.
"I had never had any season like the team had here, but sometimes it's a good way to learn about yourself and your teammates, and ultimately grow as a player," said Byram during his end-of-season press conference. "But getting back to the playoffs, it's the most fun time of year. There's nothing like it. Just seeing everybody lay it on the line every night, every shift is what makes it so special. It was a super fun year.
"I don't think anybody in our room is just satisfied with making the playoffs and losing in the second round."
Byram talked about how they have a ton of really good players in the Sabres' locker room, and he couldn't say enough good things about Power. Byram doesn't think the negatives said about Power are fair, and it just, again, illustrates how much he enjoys this team and the players.
It's not lost on Byram on how good this top-four group is. It's obvious he enjoys being a part of that, but we know he does want more.
"I feel like it's pretty rare to have a guy like 'Dahls,' then follow him up with Samuelsson, and then follow him up with 'OP,' then myself," Byram acknowledged. "But the biggest thing is we just had fun and enjoyed coming to the rink, and playing with each other. It didn't really matter who you were out there with. It felt like you were comfortable on the ice with him, and there was no ego, in terms of who was having the success. I felt like every different night it was a different guy scoring a big goal, or making a big play, or blocking a big shot, or making a big defensive play. That's the most important thing. We have a bunch of selfless guys that just want to succeed."
Now, of course, the subject of his contract came up and if he wants to sign a long-term contract with Buffalo.
"I think there's a ton of things. First-and-foremost, I don't want to lose anymore. I want to be on a good team every year. I want to compete for a Stanley Cup every year. I want to be playing important games every year, and then there's more personal stuff like where you fit in, what your role is," Byram said after a pause.
"When I signed my extension last summer, I thought maybe I wouldn't have to talk about this for awhile. But I don't know. I'm just taking things a day at a time, trying to be a good teammate, work on my game and improve and put myself in the best position possible."
So what does Kekalainen do if he's been told that Byram will play the final year of his deal and then explore free agency? He could do what they may have done with winger Alex Tuch, depending on what happens July 1, and use him as their own rental to try to win next season. If Tuch walks and the Sabres get nothing in return, I feel there was more value in keeping him through the run to the Atlantic Division title and the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
The same thing could apply to Byram: Keep the top-four defensemen together and run it through again. The problem with that is if the Sabres lose Tuch to free agency, I think it's a step back for both the team and the franchise.
Then we'd have to see what Kekalainen does in the rest of the offseason to compensate for that.
Kekalainen could find out from Byram where his desired destination would be, and figure out a trade that would be beneficial for both sides. Buffalo gets a good return, and Byram gets to sign long-term with the team of his choice.
Things, of course, could change, but everything is pointing to when Byram's contract expires at the end of next season, he will explore free agency.
Sam Reinhart did Adams the favor of letting him know that after one more season, he would not be re-signing with the Sabres, allowing Adams to find a trade with the Florida Panthers that got him Devon Levi and Jiri Kulich.
If Byram did Kekalainen the same favor, he has time to figure out options.
The defenseman still has one season left on his contract in Buffalo before being eligible to become an unrestricted free agent
The defenseman still has one season left on his contract in Buffalo before being eligible to become an unrestricted free agent
