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Why the Bowen Byram extension with the Sabres is a good thing for the Canucks

Originally posted on Canucksarmy | By Tyson Cole | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Buffalo Sabres announced that they had avoided arbitration with defenceman Bowen Byram by agreeing to a two-year, $12.5 million contract, which carries a $6.25 million average annual value (AAV).

This move likely posed as disappointing news for most Vancouver Canucks fans, who were hoping there was an outside chance at bringing the British Columbian home. But, at this point, that wasn’t really a realistic option.

The Canucks’ blueline is already a little crowded, especially on the left side, with Byram being a left-shot defenceman. Now, Byram did showcase that he can play his offside, playing most of the 2024-2025 season on the right side of the top-pair in Buffalo with Rasmus Dahlin. But even then, the Canucks already have too many defencemen as is to make room for Byram right now.

Vancouver has Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Marcus Pettersson, and Tyler Myers, who are lineup locks. Derek Forbort likely is as well, but we could see him coming out of the lineup occasionally, depending on how many of their young defenceman are NHL-ready. With that in mind, young blueliners Elias Pettersson, Victor Mancini and Tom Willander will have to battle with recently signed Pierre-Olivier Joseph for that sixth and final spot on the blueline.

It makes it difficult to picture where Byram would have fit into the Canucks current lineup. But that’s not to say it won’t make sense in two years, when his freshly signed contract expires.

Considering the Sabres took Byram to arbitration, the Cranbrook, BC native got to pick the term of the contract. With him picking two years, that walks him straight to unrestricted free agency for the 2027 offseason.

Before he signed, Colorado Avalanche analyst Adrian Dater mentioned on social media that Byram has an interest in being a Canuck.

I believe Byram wants to be a Canuck https://t.co/wK2EO6bAWl

— Adrian Dater (@adater) June 16, 2025

Shortly after, Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal shared that the Canucks’ interest in Byram was high, but they just couldn’t get a deal done with the Sabres.

But now, they might not have to.

In two years’ time, if Byram still desires to become a Canuck, he can freely sign with Vancouver in the 2027 offseason. And that already projects to be a big offseason for the Canucks.

Tyler Myers is set to become a free agent that summer. He will be 37 at the time and may lose his spot to younger right-shot defencemen in either Willander or Mancini. So, even if Byram signs in Vancouver and is willing to play on the right side, there may not be room for him.

However, there’s a more high-profile defenceman that is set to become an unrestricted free agent that summer…Quinn Hughes.

Now, Myers recently spoke on the Cam & Strick Podcast about how Hughes doesn’t like the chatter about him potentially leaving in free agency, but it is still a talking point.

Hughes is one of the best defencemen across the entire league, in the midst of his prime, and is due a substantial raise. As soon as he’s extension eligible, Hughes will likely be met with a cheque book and a pen in his stall. However, if the Canucks aren’t competitive, he could look to find a new home with a contender to battle for the Stanley Cup – whether that’s with his brothers or not.

If Hughes decides to move on, he will leave a massive void on the left side of the Canucks defence, let alone the offensive output he makes from the backend.

Now, outside of Cale Makar, there’s nobody who can replace the impact level that Hughes provides. However, if they are going to lose him, there could very well be an offensive left-shot defenceman that hits the market, who wants to play in Vancouver: Bowen Byram.

Again, everybody’s preference is for Hughes to re-sign and play out his entire NHL career in Vancouver, of course. But having Byram as a backup option to fill that void would slightly minimize the blow.

There’s no guarantee Byram signs with the Canucks, either. But his recent two-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres, that walks him straight to unrestricted free agency, certainly poses as an intriguing Hughes contingency plan for the Vancouver Canucks for the 2027 offseason.

This article first appeared on Canucksarmy and was syndicated with permission.

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