Sabres’ Defender Bowen Byram Needs To Be Better

The Buffalo Sabres are in the home stretch of finally realizing an end to the years of pain they have endured. While they may sit in the upper echelon of teams in the Eastern Conference right now, that does not make them immune to criticism, especially for players that have shown they can be much better. For the majority of the season, their top four defenders have carried a lot of the load, but as of late, one of them has been looking a little on the weak side when it comes to his usual play: Bowen Byram.

Byram Just Does Not Look Like Himself

Earlier in the season, Byram was doing all of the usual good things that he does. He was shooting the puck, moving with a purpose, using his body when he could, and being a stellar two-way defender as a whole. In the first half of the season, he put up nine goals and 23 points and was a plus-3. Since the halfway point, he has only scored one goal (Jan. 10) and added another 14 points for a total of 37. With such a dramatic offensive drop off, there has to be an understanding of why.

The simple answer would be that he is just not shooting the puck, but that would not be a correct assessment. He is still taking enough shots per game to make his presence relevant, but the quality of the shots, along with his usual ability to read and step up into a play, have gone down. He is noticeably playing more defensive, and even though it is not a bad thing for him to think that way, it has taken away some key scoring chances that he is typically able to generate. It makes him look more one-dimensional, and it flattens his game too much, making his impact too little.

Byram Can’t Keep Getting Bailed Out for Long

For a majority of this season, he has played alongside Owen Power, and while Power was lacking and struggling up until around the Olympic break, he has finally started to look very good. When comparing them side by side every game due to them playing with one another, it was easy to see that Byram was stepping up where Power was lacking early on, and now the roles have reversed. The Sabres have been a dynamic and offensively minded team, and that has made them a serious offensive threat. With so many players stepping up, it takes a toll on some others who were once contributors and now find themselves struggling.