Despite the Buffalo Sabres having some questionable defending from their blue line throughout the season, the majority of that lies on the shoulders of only a select few players. One of the few that stood out as a better example of model play and consistency was defender Bowen Byram, and it was something different to see out of him for sure. As Byram has been known to have some injury issues early on in his career, the question always loomed as to when the next time would come when he would be out of the lineup. However, in the 2024-25 season, he was the picture of health, and he played at the top of his game nearly every single night as a result.
Byram’s Healthy Season Pays Dividends
The 2024-25 season was the first time in his entire NHL career that he had played in all 82 games. His closest otherwise was the season prior in 2023-24 when he played in 73 games. As his health and stability has continued to improve since he has come to Buffalo, Byram has also continued to grow as a top young defender as well. He spent the majority of the season alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin, and the two of them looked dynamic together. Byram spent a good amount of the rest of his shifts paired with Owen Power. Byram was the perfect partner for each of them as he played the role that the other one did not perfectly, whether it was making up for the other’s mistakes, or simply adjusting to enhance for what the other partner did not, or could not do on the play. His versatility allowed him to he such an amazing asset to the team, and he deserved more opportunity than he was given.
His numbers back up how good he looked on the ice as well. He finished the season with career highs in games played (82), assists (31), points (38), plus/minus (plus-11), time on ice average per game (22:42), and shots (94). A number of those could have been higher if he were given more of a chance on the man advantage. For reasons beyond my understanding, Power was regularly featured on the second power-play unit over Byram, despite Byram’s ability to create scoring chances, and to score better than Power can. If he had been given the chance to get his footing and establish himself as the point man of the second unit, not only would he have had an even better season, but the Sabres as a whole would have since their abysmal power play would have improved.
Grading Byram
There is no telling what he could have accomplished if he was given the kind of favor that Power was. Byram showed time and time again that he was the superior defender between the two of them throughout the course of the season, but still he was left as a third option. Regardless of that, he still had a lot of consistency to show for his efforts as he only had one or two stretches of games that were noticeably poor. The remainder of his season was flush with solid defending and plenty of play generating. While in prior seasons he was more of a goal-scoring defender, he found his playmaker’s touch this season, and it will only benefit him going forward, since his scoring touch can always come back. With that being said, his grade would look something like this:
He is not the vocal leader type who is seen yelling on the bench all the time, but he leads by example with how he plays. Byram, being a young, talented defender, is the kind of player that a lot of teams want, and that is why he drew interest at the trade deadline, and into this off-season he continues to do so. There is a lot of upside still in him as he is only 23 years old, and as he continues to develop into a top-end NHL defender, the sky is the limit. He may not be on par with the likes of Dahlin, but he has the capacity to reach those heights.
Byram’s Future in Buffalo
This one is a bit more tricky since Byram is a restricted free agent when his contract expires this summer, so the Sabres have the ability to retain his rights and re-sign him to a deal that can make sense for him, and for them. The problem is, where does he fit in with them long term? If he sees himself as a top-pair defender, and he wants to be the “go-to” guy for a team to lean on, then the Sabres will not be the team to pay him like that and retain him for a long time. Dahlin is their long-term top defender, with Power signed and locked in for a similar term. To get Byram on board for a similar salary to Power would be ideal for him, but for the Sabres, that would mean locking up around $27-28 million in three defensemen. That is a lot of money to shell out for a blue line, and without any playoff aspirations looming, it is unlikely either party is jumping at the other’s offer at the moment.
Personally, I think the Sabres should retain Byram and move on from Power if they have to choose between the two of them. Sign Byram to a similar deal to what Power is, move Power for additional pieces that the organization needs, and then go from there. Byram has shown time and time again that he is the more capable defender of the two, and he deserves to be rewarded for it. The unfortunate reality is that he will likely be dealt before the coming season begins, and the return will be a disappointment, but at the very least, he will get to move on to somewhere that he can succeed and really spread his wings to become the best version of himself that he can be.
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