New Development Sparks Unexpected Twist in Bowen Byram's Situation With the Sabres

Over the past few months, most of the speculation around Bowen Byram and the Buffalo Sabres was that the young defenseman would be traded as the Sabres looked to acquire veteran talent that was ready to help them compete right now.

However, things recently changed when the team elected to go to arbitration, and on Monday we got our biggest update yet on one of the most intriguing situations in the entire NHL.

According to Canucks reporter Rick Dhaliwal, the two sides are set to avoid arbitration on a short-term deal that will likely see the young blue liner walk to unrestricted free agency in two years time.

Now, that has been confirmed by Elliotte Friedman, who officially reveals that the deal is two-years, $6.25 million annually, and while it's not quite the mark that Byram was looking for on a long-term extension, it's a massive investment for a Sabres team that are looking to get back to contention in 2025/26.

While some Sabres fans were hoping the team would trade Byram for a haul, those big time offers simply never came in, with some fans on social media now getting excited at the possibility of Byram as a long-term piece for this team.

Ultimately, a bridge deal was always the most likely outcome for the two sides when things went to arbitration, and while this doesn't mean that Byram's potential as a trade piece is officially over, it is a resolution on a story that's been building for quite some time.