Why the Blackhawks took a big swing on defenseman Bowen Byram

The wait for a big swing from the Chicago Blackhawks has been ongoing for the last few years. They’ve traded away plenty of significant players and made high draft after high draft pick. But when would they add?

General manager Kyle Davidson said he was open to doing business last offseason and said it again as he embarked on this offseason, but the proof was always going to be in his actions. Either he’d act or not act.

On Tuesday, he definitely acted.

The Blackhawks acquired 25-year-old defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres along with veteran forward Jordan Greenway for the fourth pick in this week’s draft, the third of the Blackhawks’ three second-round picks this year and defenseman Louis Crevier. The trade was by far the largest move Davidson has made in his tenure to add a significant player to the Blackhawks’ roster.

Davidson swung. Now, time will tell whether he connects or misses.

The jury is already out in full force, and the judgments haven’t been favorable to the Blackhawks’ portion of the trade, or of Davidson, which he probably anticipated. He made another bold decision on a defenseman and again didn’t add what a lot of Blackhawks fans have been clamoring for years — a logical linemate for Connor Bedard. Two years ago, it was Davidson opting to draft defenseman Artyom Levshunov over forward Ivan Demidov that incensed some fans. Now it’s Byram over generally any legitimate top-six forward who has been mentioned in rumors since last season’s trade deadline.

It’s not that Davidson doesn’t want that, too, he just began to better understand his options. His grand hope was to draft Ivar Stenberg, who could be the ideal winger for Bedard. Davidson was wishful Stenberg would fall to them at No. 4, but he was also more than willing to pony up a package to obtain the second pick from the San Jose Sharks. When the Sharks made their own major move Tuesday to acquire the ninth pick for forward William Eklund, it became apparent to Davidson the Sharks would be drafting Stenberg on Friday. That dream was over.

Faced with the likelihood Gavin McKenna, Stenberg and Caleb Malhotra, all forwards, would be the first three players taken when the draft opened, the Blackhawks had to come to terms with that reality. The next player on their draft board was a defenseman. All signs points to Chase Reid being that player. Could they draft another defenseman? Should they draft another defenseman?

Before we answer that, let’s rewind to end of this past season. The Blackhawks were hopeful when they rolled out six under-25 defensemen for the last weeks of the season they’d see enough to feel confident in bringing back that group in its entirety. The group struggled, though, and while the long-term hope for those young defensemen didn’t waver, the experiment did show what was most needed for the 2026-27 season. Another top-six forward would be nice, but the Blackhawks had to get a proven defenseman to stabilize the group. Without that, next season could be a disaster.

Ideally, the Blackhawks wanted a youngish, left-handed, puck-moving defenseman who could play alongside the likes of Levshunov and Sam Rinzel, while elevating and supporting that group’s development.

When Byram’s name hit the rumor mill, the Blackhawks’ interest was piqued. He was someone they had liked for years who checked a lot of boxes.

Drafting Reid could have made sense. He’s believed by many to be the best defenseman in this draft and to have a high ceiling. But Reid probably won’t be ready until the 2027-28 season at the earliest and could need time beyond that to come into his own at this level. Outside of Matthew Schaefer, most of the young defensemen who have thrived in the NHL in recent years did so two-plus years after being drafted and spending time in college hockey or developing elsewhere.

While there are no signs of an expiring clock on Davidson’s rebuild — he was just given a contract extension— Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz is looking for Davidson’s plan to eventually progress to the point that the Blackhawks compete for the playoffs again. Davidson had to weigh that expectation as he began assessing what he could do with that fourth pick. Reid won’t help them in the short term. Byram could.

So Davidson decided to gamble. It’s far from an absolute that Byram will be some savior for the Blackhawks. He’s been a really good NHL defenseman at times and shown the potential to be a great one. He wasn’t at that level with the Colorado Avalanche, which led them to trade him to Buffalo two seasons ago after drafting him fourth in 2019. He was better with the Sabres, but he wasn’t elite and was slotted behind Rasmus Dahlin. As the Sabres contemplated what Byram’s next contract would cost them — he’s on the final year of a two-year deal and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season — they decided he was expendable at the right price.

The Blackhawks obviously came in with the right price. While many may see it as an overpay, the Blackhawks are confident Byram can become an elite defenseman with the tools to be a high-end offensive, creative, puck-moving blueliner who can take the team to another level. Byram is relatively young (he’s eight days younger than Alex Vlasic) and will have larger opportunities in Chicago, including No. 1 defenseman ice time and being the quarterback on the top power play. He’ll spend lots of time on the ice with Bedard and the Blackhawks’ most skilled forwards.

How Byram performed in this season’s playoffs helped solidify the Blackhawks’ confidence in him. Not unlike their belief in goaltender Spencer Knight when they acquired him, the Blackhawks are confident Byram can be more than what he has been in the NHL if given the opportunity.

“I think Byram is going to be good for the Blackhawks. He’s skilled with good feet. He creates off the rush and the blue line. He can get caught in the defensive zone watching at times or allow a play behind him. But I believe in his offensive creativity, and that will offset the occasional defensive lapse. I believe he’s matured into a good top-four defenseman,” said an NHL scout who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t permitted by his team to discuss Byram.

What makes the Byram situation unique and even more of a gamble for Davidson is Byram’s expiring contract. Byram will likely seek an extension before he even hits the ice for the Blackhawks. There will be no test drive. If the Blackhawks want to keep Byram beyond this season, they probably have to commit to him now. Byram will likely ask to be paid like a No. 1 defenseman, too, without complete proof that he can be that. In today’s NHL, with the salary cap increasing, that likely means the Blackhawks will pay Byram a $10 million-plus cap hit on a long-term deal. The Blackhawks knew that going into the trade and are confident a deal can get done, but it will be costly and come with some risk.

As for Bedard’s linemate, the Blackhawks think Roman Kantserov has that potential. The Blackhawks want to see what Kantserov, Anton Frondell, Nick Lardis, Frank Nazar and company can do alongside and around Bedard this season. Of course, there might still be a need for acquiring another player when that smoke clears.

Until then, the spotlight will be on Byram. The Blackhawks need him to be everything they hope he can be. It can’t be overstated how Davidson’s big swing on Byram will likely be felt one way or another within the Blackhawks for many years to come.

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