Bowen Byram was in the midst of recuperating from an illness when he received the news of his trade from the Colorado Avalanche to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt on March 6.
With the Sabres scheduled to play back-to-back games in Toronto, Byram swiftly packed his belongings to join his new team in Nashville for the latter game, rather than returning to Buffalo first.
Although excited to reunite with former Team Canada teammates and friends like Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs, and Jack Quinn, Byram acknowledged that the transition would be a whirlwind.
“It’s never easy, to be honest. One day you’re in one city and the next day you’re in another one with a lot of stuff in between,” he reflected. “I was fortunate to get traded to a team where I know a lot of guys and had a lot of friends on the team, so I was grateful for that.”
The 22-year-old defenseman attended his first morning skate with the Sabres on March 7 at Bridgestone Arena. Prior to the trade, Byram had notched 20 points in 55 games while averaging 19:51 of ice time with the Avalanche.
As the fourth-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Byram brought considerable experience to the Sabres, having participated in the playoffs three times during his initial three seasons with Colorado and winning the Stanley Cup with the team in 2022.
In his debut game with the Sabres, Byram wasted no time displaying his skills, scoring his first goal for the team with a wrist shot during his third shift before assisting on an Owen Power goal in the third period.
Power expressed no surprise at Byram’s performance, citing his elite talent. Byram’s debut marked him as the first defenseman acquired by Buffalo in a trade to score a goal in his debut with the Sabres since Alexei Zhitnik in 1995, and just the third to tally multiple points in his debut, joining John Van Boxmeer and Lee Fogolin.
Upon his arrival in Buffalo, Byram assumed a significant role, playing on the top defensive pair alongside Rasmus Dahlin and featuring on both the power play and penalty kill. He quickly amassed five points (3+2) in his first four games with the Sabres, including two goals in a 7-3 victory over Detroit on March 12, bringing the team within five points of a playoff spot.
Byram made history as the first defenseman in Sabres’ history to score three or more goals in his first three games with the franchise. He subsequently achieved single-season career highs in goals (11), assists (18), points (29), and games played (73) with both Colorado and Buffalo in the 2023-24 season.
Concluding his initial month and a half with the Sabres, Byram accumulated nine points (3+6) in 18 games, including points in each of his last three games of the season.
Despite his individual accomplishments, Byram expressed a desire for improvement and looks forward to settling in Buffalo and participating in a full training camp with the team ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
“I feel like I’ve got lots to work on, lots to improve on, and I’ll be ready to go next season,” Byram remarked during his end-of-season media availability, reflecting on what he considered a disappointing season for himself. He emphasized his commitment to working hard over the summer to come back in the best shape possible and elevate his game. Byram expressed his desire to contribute positively to the team’s success and be part of the solution moving forward.
General manager Kevyn Adams brought Byram in at the trade deadline to bolster the team’s defensive corps, which already included four other defensemen under the age of 25: Dahlin, Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and Henri Jokiharju. Adams highlighted the trade as a move to improve the team both in the present and for the future.
Newly appointed head coach Lindy Ruff expressed his enthusiasm for working with the Sabres’ young defense corps, supported by goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The team showed defensive prowess in the latter part of the season, ranking among the NHL’s best in goals against and penalty kill after January 1st.
Teammates Cozens and Dahlin praised Byram’s leadership and experience, noting his positive impact in the locker room. Cozens, who has a longstanding friendship with Byram since their minor hockey days and shared a gold medal win at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, looks forward to witnessing Byram’s growth and potential as he enters a new season with the Sabres.
