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Bowen Byram Refuses Salary Arbitration: Remains Offer-Sheet Eligible

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 7:07 PM ET

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, who has been heavily involved in trade talks, did not file for salary arbitration and remains a RFA.

Multiple players in the National Hockey League have filed for salary arbitration today, and the list is as follows:

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)
Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)

However, one notably absent name from this list is Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, who remains an RFA and therefore eligible to receive an offer sheet from an opposition NHL club.

In addition to being a strong candidate for the Sabres to trade, as they recently did with JJ Peterka, Byram is also a strong candidate to receive an offer sheet that the Sabres would either have to match or allow him to join the respective club and receive draft picks as compensation.

Per NHL Insider Chris Johnston, he wouldn't be surprised if an offer sheet was on the horizon for Byram.

The Byram situation in particular is kind of interesting. There are certainly whispers out there, strong whispers I'd say, of an offer sheet for Bowen Byram.
If he ends up signing an offer sheet, that's basically somewhere on that $7 million mark where he's likely to land.

Byram, who was originally taken 4th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, was traded to the Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt in 2024.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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