Blackhawks Sign Bowen Byram to a 6-Year Contract Extension

On June 23, the Chicago Blackhawks traded the fourth overall pick and some change to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Bowen Byram. With that fourth pick, the Sabres selected a defender, Daxon Rudolph. It was a hefty price tag, but general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson said he was willing to pay it because he truly believes Byram can be a true No. 1 defenseman in the future.

The problem is that the price tag was paid for only one year of Byram. His two-year, $6.25 million average annual value (AAV) contract he signed with the Sabres ends after this upcoming season, making him an unrestricted free agent (UFA). Fortunately, the Blackhawks won’t have to worry about that, as he signed a six-year extension that carries a $12.5 million AAV cap hit.

What Byram’s Next Contract Will Look Like

This deal makes Byram the highest-paid defenseman in the league, topping Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes (for now). The term is right because he’s 25 years old, but $12.5 million is a lot for the dollar amount. 

Byram had 11 goals and 31 assists for 42 points this past season with the Sabres, with seven points (four goals and three assists) through two rounds and 13 playoff games. The 2022 Stanley Cup champion has had consistently improving seasons, and the fact that he’s had two full healthy seasons in a row, mixed in with his young age of 25, makes him worth this deal sometime down the road; that’s not at all out of the picture. 

Byram has never had a chance to be the No. 1 guy before. In Buffalo, it’s Rasmus Dahlin, and when he was on the Colorado Avalanche, it was and still is Makar. This is a massive opportunity for him, and he said he was more than excited in his opening press conference. 

How Will It Impact the Blackhawks’ Future Cap?

The Blackhawks have all the money in the world, and it’s a good thing they do. Chicago traded Andre Burakovsky’s contract a few hours before the first day of the NHL Draft to the Ottawa Senators. Burakovsky was scheduled to take $5.5 million of the cap this campaign, and while it won’t affect Byram’s next contract, freed-up money is freed-up money wherever you can get it; the Blackhawks have $35 million in cap space to work with. 

Chicago won’t have that amount of cap space for long, though. Soon, Connor Bedard will put pen to paper and ink his big payday, which has been earned with his recent play. Coming off a career-high 75-point season (including injuries), he hit another level with his abilities, and he will only get better as he is just turning 21 years old in July.

GM Davidson is taking a massive swing here with Byram, but at this point in the rebuild, it’s time to take them. With the cap going up and if Byram continues his upward trend, proves to be the guy on the blue line, and Makar and Hughes get a big payday, the contract could end up looking like a steal.