NHL Trade Rumors
Analyzing Bo Byram Rumors, Does He Fit the Penguins?
The Buffalo Sabres cannot do right, even by doing wrong. The beleaguered franchise must feel a kinship to the long-suffering Pittsburgh Pirates fans, as it seems no matter the move, it fails to work. So, the NHL trade chatter is abuzz this week that the Sabres are gauging the market value of young defenseman Bo Byram, and Penguins fans are salivating.
Not so fast.
First, credit to Buffalo for trying to win, unlike the Pirates, but it has been 14 years since the nestled great lakes city with a Cheerios factory, high taxes, hot wings, and infrastructure crumbling under the punishing winters punched a ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Many careers have come and gone in that time, but one pillar of the Buffalo roster is top-pair left-side defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The former first-overall pick is a cornerstone of the Sabres.
That leaves the left-handed Byram, who will turn 24 in a few weeks, as the second fiddle and potentially available. So, what should we make of the trade chatter?
Plenty.
Byram is a second-pairing defenseman who wants to be a first. His skill set is pushing the puck forward with quick skates or good vision. Byram likes to join the rush and is an offensive defenseman. Defensemen who can do that and cover the defensive zone don’t come cheaply.
Buffalo has plenty of needs on their roster, but they are oh so close to finally being competitive. General manager Kevyn Adams watched the Ottawa Senators break their playoff drought, and quite frankly, the Detroit Red Wings should have ended their long drought, too, but later in the season, they wilted like bad lettuce.
“He’s a confident lad, Byram, and I say that in a positive way,” said Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his recent 32 Thoughts podcast. “I think confidence matters. And I think he would like a bigger role. It’s tough in Buffalo, with who’s ahead of him and who’s around him. So, I think that absolutely is part of the decision-making process here.”
Friedman confirmed there is plenty of noise around a Byram trade.
There are a couple of valuation factors in play before any Penguins chatter can begin. First, the Florida Panthers acquired Seth Jones for goalie Spencer Knight and a first-round pick. Second, Buffalo acquired Byram for center Casey Mittelstadt.
While Byram isn’t quite to Jones’s level, he would now cost more than Mittelstadt’s previous valuation as a young second-line center.
So, Byram won’t be a cheap trade target or an inexpensive roster addition. He’s an RFA with arbitration rights but is two years away from unrestricted free agency. AFP Analytics projects his RFA contract to be five years, with a salary cap hit of over $7.1 million.
Also, there’s no reason to think Buffalo would want only future assets. They need to start winning, or Adams will be out of a job soon. In other words, acquiring Byram will take future assets and immediate help.
Would Penguins GM Kyle Dubas part with future assets at this point in the Penguins’ rebuild? Or revemp. Or Re-whatever you want to call it.
Perhaps Dubas could spend his extra first-round pick acquired from the New York Rangers via the Vancouver Canucks on Byram. But one should expect the Penguins to see if the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2026 is potentially a golden ticket to the Gavin McKenna lottery before trading it away.
Also, the Penguins would have to make Buffalo better immediately, and that means also providing an NHL player in the deal. The Penguins don’t have a lot of veteran players who would do that; Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell are at the top of the list, but they also comprise the entire list.
Since Buffalo has control of the situation for two more seasons, they have no reason to sell for less than full value. Unless Dubas is willing to part with one of his NHL-ready prospects, such as Owen Pickering, and Buffalo very much likes the prospect as an adequate replacement, a deal seems tough to complete.
Sure, in a pros and cons argument, the pro is easy. Byram is a young, hungry defenseman who fits the Penguins’ target demographic, but there are two big problems with the Byram-Penguins drumbeat.
First, defense.
The Penguins’ blue line already resembles a moth-eaten wool sweater in the back of the closet with large holes and no way to save it. The blue line already has Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang for a couple more seasons. Would Letang alter his game to be the safety valve for Byram?
Karlsson certainly could not.
So, if Byram wants to be the top defenseman with a team, he would again be in an awkward spot with the Penguins. Unless, of course, Dubas is able to move Karlsson via trade and clear up the situation.
Second, trade cost.
Even if the Penguins are able to move Karlsson to clear a spot for an offensive defenseman, Byram will be an expensive get. He had only 38 points (7-31-38) last season despite playing over 22 minutes per game, so a team must project him to progress further and assume the risk that he doesn’t.
In some categories, Byram is the perfect Penguins target, but in real-world applications, Byram would cost assets and be an awkward fit for a couple of seasons.
With some regret to the many who are eagerly hoping it can work, the timing is off, and Dubas could do well to spend assets in other areas. After all, timing is everything.
