Why Bowen Byram can imagine being part of the Buffalo Sabers in the long term

BUFFALO, NY – Bowen Byram needed a place to stay.

This is the part of the season that blockbuster fans don’t always get to see. When the Sabers sent Casey Mittelstadt to the Avalanche in March for the then 22-year-old Byram, he didn’t just have himself to worry about. He was about to destroy his life with his girlfriend and their two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a Plott Hound, one of which was a puppy at the time. Luckily, he came to a place where one of his longtime friends, Dylan Cozens, had been playing for years. And Cozens was happy to have the company at his downtown condo.

“It was a little chaotic at times, but it was fun,” Cozens said. “Added some excitement to the house.”

Byram also added some excitement to Buffalo’s lineup. He scored a goal in his first Sabers game and scored two goals in his third game. His smooth running and offensive instincts were immediately noticeable. But like any young player who changes teams, Byram needed time to adjust to new coaching positions, a different system and completely new teammates. In 18 games with the Sabers at the end of last season, Byram’s on-ice expected goals rate at five-on-five was 40 percent, lower than at any point in his career.

This season should be a chance for Byram to show what he can do. Entering the final season of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent, Byram, his girlfriend and their dogs settled into their own home and began to feel comfortable in the community. And now, 24 games into the season, Byram plays with captain Rasmus Dahlin on Buffalo’s top defensive pairing. He ranks second among NHL defensemen with 13 points in five-on-five play, the Sabers have scored 60 percent of the goals with him on the ice in five-on-five play and there was no Buffalo player Longer on the ice targets with consistent strength.

“I still think Bo definitely has more,” said Sabers forward Peyton Krebs, who has known Byram since he was 8 years old. “He’s shown what he can do and still has a lot to gain.” When he’s at his best, he’s incredible. There’s a reason he came fourth overall. What sets him apart is simply his confidence to make plays. When he’s at his best, he demands the puck every second, he wants the puck. You hear it when you’re on the ice. He screams at you, “Yes, yes!” Things like that. His presence is what he does best. I love seeing that for him.”

This is a much better picture of the player general manager Kevyn Adams was hoping for when he traded Mittelstadt, Buffalo’s leading scorer at the time of the deal. Adams viewed Byram as the top-four defenseman he had long been looking for. He urged then-coach Don Granato to immediately put him in the top pairing. The results were inconsistent and Granato eventually ousted Byram from that pair. But now he’s back, and the Sabers have scored 54 percent of expected goals at five-on-five when Byram and Dahlin play together. In over 200 minutes of five-on-five play, the Sabers hit 57 percent of their shot attempts and outscored teams 10-4 when this pair is on the ice.

The next question the Sabers need to answer is where exactly Byram fits into the bigger picture of their plan. It still feels like Byram has more to give, as evidenced by his 43 percent expected goal share on the ice when he’s not playing with Dahlin. His next contract is tricky. Stylistically, he’s not much different than Dahlin and Owen Power, both of whom already have long-term contracts and are ahead of Byram in the power play pecking order. With another team, Byram could get enough power play opportunities to increase his value. How much will Adams be willing to pay Byram if Dahlin is paid $11 million per season and Power is signed for just over $8 million per year?

For his part, Byram enjoyed playing in Buffalo. He knew he had old friends who would help ease his transition into the locker room, but he also enjoys Buffalo for Buffalo’s sake. He comes from a small town in British Columbia near the Alberta border and still lives there in the summer. He found a similar feeling in Buffalo.

“I feel like you have this,” Byram said. “Good workers, hard-working people. Furthermore, life is really simple. You drive to certain places on the road and sit in traffic all day. I’m lucky I don’t have to deal with that here. It’s pretty low key. That’s what I really like about Buffalo. I feel like it fits my lifestyle. I have a lot of good things to say. You never really know what you’re getting into when you go somewhere new, but honestly I’ve really enjoyed it here so far.”

Krebs isn’t surprised by how much Byram welcomed Buffalo, adding, “Us Western Canada guys, we don’t really care where we are. We love playing the game. Bo is a humble guy. He doesn’t need much. As long as he has his brothers around him, he’s all in.”

Sabers teammates Peyton Krebs and Bowen Byram are longtime friends. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Not every player in the league would be willing to play in Buffalo either. Especially someone like Byram, who has already won the Stanley Cup and played for a winning team in Colorado. No team has been out of the playoffs longer than the Sabers, and Western New York doesn’t have the great weather or low income taxes that attract NHL veterans. Given that Adams took out Mittelstadt, a player who loved playing for the Sabers and seemed ready to stay, it was crucial that he got back a player who would love playing for the Sabres.

“He knows what winning feels like and he wants that again,” Cozens said. “He wants so badly for us to be a successful and winning team. He helped us a lot and showed us what it takes to win. He wants to be part of the solution and help us take the next step.”

When Byram arrived in Buffalo, Krebs told reporters that the defensive lineman was “the definition of a beauty.” He lived up to that standard, cracking jokes and quickly becoming one of the people in the room whose teammates love to be around.

“Colorado definitely lost a gem and we gained one,” Krebs said.

It seems like Byram isn’t accomplishing much. You don’t feel the pressure of being a top-five draft pick or being part of a big trade because he doesn’t live online and read what’s said about him. The only pressure that has crept in at all is the pressure that comes with it being a contract year.

“It can be stressful,” Byram said. “People who don’t admit that or say that are probably lying, in my opinion. It’s a big part of your life. It’s really our whole life. Wherever you are signed, where you live, where you play, where your family visits, where your spouse lives most of the time. I just try to stay present in the moment and have fun with what I’m doing and the people you’re doing it with.”

On Tuesday, Byram will play against his former team for the first time since the move. When you get drafted in the top five and win the Stanley Cup with that franchise, you don’t think much about playing somewhere else. So that took some getting used to for Byram. But now he’s starting to imagine what it might be like for Buffalo to be the place he stays for a while.

“I’ve thought about that a lot,” Byram said. “Ultimately, in many cases it’s not really in my hands. I’m more focused on playing hockey and doing my best. Things will take care of themselves. I mainly focus on gaming. But at the same time, it’s always somehow on your mind when a contract expires. I love it here and can’t say anything negative. We’ll see how things develop.”

(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)