Another name has been added to the offseason trade board, and this time it's Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram.
Following a successful season, the Sabres are looking to shift up their blueline. NHL insider Darren Dreger reported on X Thursday that multiple teams are exploring a trade surrounding Byram. Defenseman Michael Kesselring was recently dealt, so could Byram be next, and should the Nashville Predators be interested?
Multiple teams exploring a trade with the Buffalo Sabres involving Dman, Bo Byram. Byram has 1 yr left on his contract before becoming an unrestricted Free Agent. Agent, Darren Ferris has some history with marching players to the open market. Motivation for trade consideration.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 18, 2026
For the Predators, Byram may be the best option for an offseason splash under the new President of Hockey Ops/General Manager Chris MacFarland. With the work that he's doing behind the scenes, maybe his next move would be a major roster shakeup. If he decides to give this aging roster one more shot at playoff action, Byram would be a great way to give it a push in the right direction.
Byram could be Josi's successor when the time comes
Byram, 25, is a seven-year veteran at the NHL level. In the 328 games he's laced up for, he scored 44 points and 152 points with a +41 rating. The former fourth overall pick played big minutes for both the Colorado Avalanche and Sabres, averaging 21:19 of ice time over his career. He's made both of his teams better when he's on the ice, and that would only continue if he was brought on into the Music City.
He is primarily an offensive defenseman and succeeds in driving the play up ice and serving as the team's quarterback. Byram's speed is his strong suit. NHL EDGE has him ranked in the 93rd percentile for speed bursts ranging from 18-22+ MPH. For a team like the Predators, where speed is becoming a priority, he would slot in perfectly along the likes of Brady Martin, Luke Evangelista and Ryan Ufko.
Scoring is another strength of Byram. His 11 goals ranked in the 91st percentile among league defensemen, his 109 shots at the 82nd, and his 10.1-shooting percentage at the 89th. He excels in high danger situations, with his shooting percentage (21.4%) at its highest in those situations. MoneyPuck measures his scoring talent at 11.3% above average, meaning he is 11.3% more efficient at scoring than the average positional player.
While he may struggle to produce from long-range (2.7%), it's the idea that a guy like Byram can both play close to the net and maintain a good plus/minus, meaning he can hold off the opposition from grabbing the puck and producing. It's the small analytics like this that prove why he is a highly sought after player in the NHL. His left-handedness means he can eventually take over Roman Josi's spot on the left side, serving a similar role on both sides of the ice.
Where he would slot in the lineup is another question. Byram frequently plays the right side with Buffalo, and he could continue that with Nashville. Head Coach Andrew Brunette could swap Josi or Byram for the right side and there wouldn't be an issue. Brady Skjei, Nicolas Hague, and Ufko will continue the same role as before.
Adding Byram to the Predators roster would do nothing but good. However, the process of acquiring and keeping him may be a bit troublesome.
A trade would both be costly upfront and in the long-run
Predicting what a trade may look like is a tricky one. For years, Buffalo priortized draft capital and prospects to exit the trenches. Now with playoff experience and a division title under its belt, NHL-ready talent may be the asking price. Given Byram's stats and team impact, Nashville would need to give up something equally as important.
With Sabres forward Alex Tuch most likely entering free agency, maybe the Predators could give up a forward in return. The first player that comes to mind is center Ryan O'Reilly. Buffalo could really use an established center, and with O'Reilly being one of the league's top faceoff takers, it just makes sense. He's also easily accessible since his contract is $4.5 million per year and has no clause.
At face value, I do believe the Sabres would want a bit more. That's nothing a little draft capital could do. Add a future 2nd or 3rd and maybe they consider it. In this case, we suppose that the Predators would send the Sabres a 2026 and 2027 2nd to help fill the draft gap they have in the second round.
It's also important to note that Byram's two-year, $12.5 million contract is set to expire a year from now, so the Predators would need to get working on an extension as soon as possible. It's likely he'd ask for anywhere from $8-10 million per year with this next contract, including tenure. For Nashville this shouldn't be a problem since they are nowhere near the cap limit. However, once names like Evangelista, Matthew Wood and Martin begin asking for extension, it may put some pressure on its wallets.
Regardless, a trade for Byram could very well push this team out of the mushy middle while also allowing it to move off from trade-valued piece or two.
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