The Colorado Avalanche and general manager Chris MacFarland are getting business done. The team has announced that they have extended restricted free agent defenceman Bo Byram to a two-year deal. The deal is worth $3.85 million annually.
Byram, a 22-year old from Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada, was the fourth-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He scored his first NHL goal in October of the 2021-22 season against the Chicago Blackhawks and currently has 15 goals and 28 assists in 91 games.
Byram is the team’s second-line right defenceman, pairing with Devon Toews for another season. Toews has one year remaining on his deal, worth $4.1 million.
General Manager Chris MacFarland just continues to work out deals that make sense for both the players and the team. This deal for Bo Byram gives them a chance to let him show what he can do over the next two seasons. Will he perform at a higher level than they expect? That would be awesome for the current team. However, if that happens, could he end up pricing himself out of the Avalanche’s price range when it’s time to see what’s next in a couple of years?
He’s unlikely to become the caliber of Cale Makar (who really is?), so the team will have to decide which tier Bo Byram is at at the time of his next contract.
In the game of hockey, I feel it is very important to keep your guys together to try and build on what they were in the past. Having to switch them out of the lineup is just not ideal. Continuity is what is key here. The Avalanche have shown that they can play some very good hockey at times. While we want to see more from the 2021-22 Stanley Cup Champions, it’s possible that they aren’t far off of what they were that year.