A former Colorado Avalanche first-round draft pick will be returning to the Central Division next season. That former Avalanche draft pick is none other than Bowen Byram.
The Buffalo Sabres completed a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night, sending the former fourth-overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft back to the Central Division.
The Sabres sent Byram and veteran forward Jordan Greenway to the Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Louis Crevier, the Blackhawks’ first-round pick in 2026, fourth overall, and a 2026 second-round pick.
That was a stunning price to pay for Byram. The 25-year-old will be entering the final year of his current contract, and did not seem likely to return to Buffalo after next season. So, the Sabres found a willing trade partner in Chicago.
Avalanche fans will recall that Byram went to Buffalo in the Casey Mittelstadt trade in 2024. The deal worked out for Buffalo to a certain extent, but not so well for Colorado.
The Avs will get to see a little more of Byram next season. The Avalanche and Blackhawks will face each other four times next season. So, there will be some time to renew acquaintances a little more deeply.
Byram hoping to find the spot he wouldn’t have gotten with the Avalanche or Sabres
One of the talking points surrounding Byram is that he wanted to get the chance to be a number-one defenseman. That’s the shot he’ll have in Chicago.
In Buffalo, Byram was playing under the shadow of captain Rasmus Dahlin. Dahlin has been so good that he earned a Norris Trophy nomination this season. As such, there was really no chance for Byram to become the number-one guy in Buffalo.
As for Colorado, that chance wouldn’t have been even remotely close. If Byram had to deal with Dahlin looming over him, with the Avalanche, it would have been nearly impossible for him to unseat Cale Makar as the team’s top blueliner.
That’s why playing for another organization was the best thing that could have happened for Byram. If he proves he really is a number-one defenseman, we could be talking about Byram getting the big bucks next summer as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent.
So, stay tuned because there will surely be some interesting developments this upcoming season regarding the Avalanche’s former draft pick.
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