Bowen Byram’s Bag: Predicting His New Blackhawks Extension

With the new league year beginning on Wedensday, the Chicago Blackhawks have one guarantee on July 1. That guarantee is signing newly-acquired defenseman Bowen Byram to an expectedly massive contract extension.

That said, what does that dollar amount look like exactly? There are reports that suggest Byram will not sign for the maximum eight years. That said, the average annual value of the contract is expected to reset the market for defensemen, or close to it.

There are plenty of predictions out there within the hockey rumor mill. Darren Dreger, for example, believes that Byram only signs for four years at something in the ballpark of $12 million to $13 million per year. As for others, like Elliotte Friedman, there is belief that the deal will fall between five and seven years. He expressed that it will be a “big number“, but that could mean anything from $10 million annually to something in the ballpark of Dreger’s prediction.

Regardless, Bowen Byram will establish himself as the franchise defenseman once he puts pen to paper on Wednesday. During his press conference, he expressed his desire to be in Chicago and the hope that he’s there for a long time. Those comments, along with Kyle Davidson’s supporting comments, suggest the deal will likely be right in the spot where Friedman suggested.

Where do you think Bowen Byram’s contract comes in? Our Four Feathers panelists shared their guesses below:

Bowen Byram Contract Predictions

Blackhawks Cowboy: 6 years, $12.5 million AAV – Full No-Movement Clause (NMC) for first 4 years, Modified No-Trade Clause (M-NTC) for the last 2 years

Tony Marchese: 7 years, $12.5 million AAV – Full NMC for first 4 years, TBD for last 3 years

Ron Luce: 6 years, $12.8 million AAV – Full NMC for first 5 years, last year M-NTC

Patrick Comiskey: 6 years, $11.5 million AAV – Full No-Movement Clause