The Buffalo Sabres didn’t have to trade Bo Byram. In fact, they’re probably a better team (right now) with Byram on the roster. But when a team desperate to make a change calls with an offer you can’t refuse, things can change.
The Sabres sent Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the No. 45 pick and prospect defenseman Louis Crevier. The trade alters the Sabres roster in a fascinating way and gives Chicago someone they believe will be their No. 1 defenseman to carry them forward out of their rebuild.
It was believed that Byram wanted to have the responsibility of being a No. 1, something that wasn’t going to happen in Buffalo with Rasmus Dahlin in place, and all that comes with it. Leading the power play, playing the big minutes in key situations, all of that. A player who wants to do more is noble and being aware it wouldn’t come in Buffalo was just matter of fact.
With a year left on his contract and unrestricted free agency looming next summer, the Sabres were caught in the same position they were/are with Alex Tuch. Byram would be able to demand a big contract and if Buffalo wasn’t able to/going to offer it, he’d get it elsewhere. The Sabres couldn’t run the risk of being in the position they’re in now with Tuch two years in a row. Fortunately for them, Chicago came forward with an offer that made it impossible to ignore.
The Blackhawks have been eager to speed up the process of their rebuild since they drafted Connor Bedard. Chicago GM Kyle Davidson has tried a couple different strategies the past two years to angle the team through that. When surrounding Bedard with veterans didn’t pay off two years ago, he leaned more on their prospects to make a leap this past season. Neither tactic worked out and they landed high in the lottery each time. With the No. 4 pick in hand and appearing set to draft another young player to join the ranks of Bedard, Artyom Levshunov and Frank Nazar, Davidson is trying to do something different yet again. Moving the No. 4 pick out for Byram to be their No. 1 defenseman and adding Jordan Greenway to balance out their bottom six forward group and provide leadership is their move.
For Byram, this change puts it all on him to prove himself. In Colorado, he was never going to escape Cale Makar’s shadow just like how he would’ve been unable to unseat Dahlin in Buffalo. He’ll unquestionably be the man in Chicago. The pressure to get a contract extension done there now falls to Davidson and company and that may not be an easy task. Chicago already has to get a long-term extension done this summer with Bedard and you’d have to think that adding Byram helps make selling Bedard on the future with Chicago a bit easier to do. Another high-end prospect may not help ease concerns there and making sure Bedard is committed is absolutely priority No. 1. Byram helps to that end.
It might appear that Greenway is a throw-in on this trade, but that’s not at all the case. Obviously, he comes with a juicy $4 million cap hit, but he’s been one of the leaders in the room for Buffalo the past few years as well. He’s a guy that’s vocal on and off the ice and a guy who helps keep the room light. He’s easy going but a knowledgeable competitor as well given his contributions to the Sabres PK over the years. That all-around package will help Chicago.
Greenway was a much better player after getting past the complications he had following sports hernia surgery a year ago and since it looks like Ilya Mikheyev is likely on the way out, Greenway will help them on their penalty kill as well. He’ll be missed in Buffalo, however, some of his shortcomings with speed were exposed during the playoff loss to Montréal.
The trade freed up more than $10 million in cap space for Buffalo which, given they were sitting around $13 million in space before the trade, gives them a lot more breathing room to take care of a reported Zach Benson extension (Kevin Weekes said it would be seven years for $7 million per). That kind of room would also suggest that perhaps there’s a way to retain Alex Tuch, but it’s difficult to see (business-wise) how re-signing a 30-year-old at $10 million (or more) per season for years to come would make sense.
If/when Tuch departs, the change to the Sabres dressing room this summer is sizable. Byram and Greenway were beloved teammates and Tuch is beloved and respected as well. The playoffs indicated that the team has grown up a lot, but it’s still a very young team in general, especially with Noah Östlund and Konsta Helenius forcing their way into the lineup. That puts the onus on Dahlin, Tage Thompson and Mattias Samuelsson to be the leaders moving forward. They were always going to be those guys in the room one day and that day is now. It’s not so much a concern as it is something to keep an eye on as the season goes on.
As for the No. 4 pick in the draft, the world is Jarmo Kekäläinen’s oyster.
Buffalo was able to move up in the draft previously by sending the 27th pick and Michael Kesselring to San Jose for the 20th pick, but landing the No. 4 pick makes them a wild card for what they can do. With two top 20 picks including a top five selection, they can be players for a trade to acquire a star player to either replace Tuch or Byram.
If they use the No. 4 pick, again, the world is wide open on who to select. Chances are they won’t have a shot at forwards Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, but if forward is an area they want to address, Viggo Björck is someone to keep in mind first and foremost. He’s arguably the best forward behind McKenna and Stenberg and even though he’s not big in size, his skill is outstanding. If not Björck, Caleb Malhotra, Ethan Belchetz, Alexander Command, Adam Novotny and Wyatt Cullen are names to keep in mind.
If they wanted to go for a defenseman, names like Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels, Daxon Rudolph Malte Gustafsson and Alberts Smits are standouts. The highest upside belongs to the likes of Reid, Carels and Verhoeff but there are a lot of potentially very good blue liners to be had.
It should be said these names are all ones to keep in mind for both picks four and 20. Going from only keeping a passing eye on the draft for Buffalo given they came into things with the 27th pick and four total picks to now having three picks in the top 50 and six total picks is wild. Opinions on the overall talent in this draft are somewhat down and perhaps the ease with which we’ve seen trade first-round picks the past few days indicates that. That said, GMs using picks so aggressively makes for a nice change of pace with trades. We’ve seen things go silent so often the past few years at the draft because teams were happy to stay where they were and the, “it’s difficult to find a deal” line of reasoning doesn’t fly when everyone is using it.
With the draft starting on Friday, the Sabres have seized everyone’s attention just the way a team hosting the draft ought to. What they do next should be fascinating.