Several teams hoping to acquire this Stanley Cup Champion

One of Buffalo's top defensemen, Bowen Byram, is being talked about by many NHL executives, with NHL.com's Kevin Weekes reporting that several teams want to acquire the former Stanley Cup Champion.

With Byram recently switching representations, and as his previous 2-year, $7.7MM contract expires, Buffalo may have some hesitancy around the likelihood of agreeing to a long-term contract, according to a May 25 report.

Byram joined Buffalo at the 2024 trade deadline, in a straight-up swap for Casey Mittlestadt with the Colorado Avalanche, with whom Byram was having a good year, posting 20 points in 55 games, and then 9 in 18 games with the Sabres.

A full year in a top-defense role led Byram to having a career year, 38 points in 82 games. His scoring was third among Buffalo d-men, behind Rasmus Dahlin (68 points), and Owen Power (42 points), a 2021 1st overall pick - Byram was 4th overall in 2019.

Bowen's performance with Buffalo will make the 24 year-old difficult to overlook in the trade market. He ranks 41st among active d-men in career scoring before the age of 24, 110 points in 389 games, placing him between Zack Bogosian (114p, 352g) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (110p, 389g).

Byram would make sense on a contending team looking to get younger, like the Washington Capitals. How quickly he becomes unavailable will depend on the upcoming draft, as teams look to bolster their rosters.

If a d-man is not available in the 2025 Draft to a team that needs one, then Byram may just be a good alternative. He is only 24 years old, has ample playoff experience, and a huge upside for continued growth.