Blackhawks’ Byram hopes to be in Chicago ‘for a long time’
The Chicago Blackhawks took a massive step forward in their rebuilding process on Tuesday when they acquired defenseman Bowen Byram in a blockbuster trade with the Buffalo Sabres.
Byram, who has spent his career playing behind either Cale Makar with the Colorado Avalanche or Rasmus Dahlin with the Sabres, cost the Blackhawks the No. 4 and 45 overall picks in this year’s NHL Draft along with young defenseman Louis Crevier, and now gets the opportunity to be a No. 1 defenseman on a team in desperate need of present-day talent.
On Wednesday, both Byram and general manager Kyle Davidson spoke with reporters in Chicago to address the trade and their plans to hammer out an extension that keeps Byram in the Windy City for years to come.
The takeaway was clear: both sides of the equation are highly interested in making this a long-term partnership.
“We’ll have to put our money where our mouth is,” Davidson said, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. “We believe in this guy. We believe he’s a very good player, one that can be elite.”
Byram has one year remaining on a contract that carries a salary cap hit of $6.25 million, a number from which he will most certainly be seeking a sizable raise. He will become eligible to sign an extension at the start of the new league year on July 1.
“I plan on being in Chicago for a long time,” Byram told reporters, including Pope.
Byram says there haven't been any contract talks yet with the Blackhawks, but he's eager to start them come July 1 (when he's extension-eligible) because "I plan on being in Chicago for a long time."
Byram, a roving offensive defenseman with solid puck skills and considerable skating ability, posted 42 points in 82 regular season games this year while skating to a plus-15 rating on an average of 22:20 of time on ice per game.
The British Columbia native will provide solid passing and puck-moving, and ideally quarterback the power play to strong results, but he is unlikely to help Chicago when it comes to limiting scoring chances against.
The Blackhawks were dead last in the NHL with 3.02 expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 last season, but Byram was worst among Sabres defensemen with at least 40 games played with a mark of 2.80.
If Byram’s defensive game can mature with more responsibility even in a worse defensive environment, he would be worth a hefty contract. If not, Davidson could one day come to regret this expensive gamble.