Bowen Byram to Blackhawks: Sabres Land No. 4 Pick, Shed $10.25M and Stack Buffalo's Draft Capital

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway from the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday in exchange for defenseman Louis Crevier and Chicago's No. 4 and No. 45 picks in Friday's NHL Draft, per the official team release and ESPN. Byram, 25, posted a career-high 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) in 82 regular-season games for Buffalo in 2025-26 and tied career highs in both goals and assists, per the Blackhawks release.

The deal swings Buffalo's offseason. PuckPedia had the Sabres at $11.9 million in cap space heading into Tuesday, per ESPN. Shedding Byram's $6.25 million annual hit plus Greenway's $4 million pushes that figure to $21.299 million with three first-round picks (the new No. 4 from Chicago, their own No. 9, and the No. 20 acquired from Edmonton via San Jose) on Friday at KeyBank Center.

What Chicago Pays For a Top-Pairing Bet

Byram is a 25-year-old left-shot puck-mover who was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, per the Blackhawks release. He won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022, posting career postseason highs of nine assists and points in 20 games, before the Avalanche moved him to Buffalo during 2023-24. He stacked 93 blocked shots last season, third among Buffalo skaters, and added seven points (four goals, three assists) in the playoffs.

Chicago is betting Byram becomes the top-pairing defenseman his draft slot projected. He has not held that role in either Colorado, where Cale Makar and Devon Toews lock the top minutes, or Buffalo, where Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power eat the same role. Joining a Blackhawks blue line that was the worst in the NHL at suppressing high-danger chances and scoring chances last season per Natural Stat Trick (cited by ESPN), Byram should slot directly onto the first pair next to Alex Vlasic.

Greenway is a 29-year-old, 6-foot-6 winger with one year left on a $4 million cap hit. He produced six points in 40 games last year but added three points in 13 playoff contests. Bottom-six insurance with playoff size.

Crevier going back to Buffalo is the underrated piece. He set career highs in goals (7), assists (18), and points (25) over 78 games for Chicago last season, plus 124 hits and 95 blocked shots, per the Blackhawks release. Buffalo gets a 6-foot-6 right shot defenseman on a cheap deal who plays a punishing brand of shutdown hockey.

The Sabres Offseason Just Got a Lot Easier

Kevyn Adams has been signaling cap pressure for weeks. Buffalo has nine unrestricted free agents led by Alex Tuch, plus restricted free agent extensions due for Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs, per the Buffalo Sabres 2026 offseason primer. Going into Tuesday with $11.9 million in space and trying to retain Tuch (the top UFA on the board this summer per Daily Faceoff's UFA rankings) was a math problem with no easy solution.

Now Buffalo has $21.299 million. That is enough to extend Tuch at the top of his market, sign one mid-tier UFA, and absorb the Benson and Krebs raises without touching the long-term deals already on the books for Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka, Dahlin, or Power. The Sabres now hold three first-round picks (No. 4 from Chicago, their own No. 9, and No. 20 acquired from Edmonton via San Jose) in what scouts have framed as a strong defenseman class headlined by Gavin McKenna at the top, per NHL.com's draft order coverage.

A trio of first-rounders plus a stacked blue line that still includes Dahlin, Power, Mattias Samuelsson, and now Crevier is a rebuild ahead of schedule.

Betting Impact: Cap Sheet to Cup Price

Buffalo's 2027 Stanley Cup price has not moved meaningfully on FanDuel as of Wednesday morning June 24, sitting in the +2200 range. The market is waiting for what the Sabres do with the cap room. If Tuch signs at $8M and Adams adds a second-line center via the No. 4 pick or a follow-up trade, expect that price to shorten before October.

Chicago's 2027 Cup price (currently in the +10000 range, per DraftKings Sportsbook) does not move on a single defenseman addition. A 2026-27 points over/under for Byram should reprice in the 38 to 45 range on a Blackhawks team that will give him first-pairing minutes. Greenway is a depth flier and not a market mover.

DFS angles to track in October: Byram on a top pair playing 23-plus minutes nightly becomes a viable cash-game floor at a discount price if Chicago keeps him at low ownership. The Sabres goalie pool (Devon Levi, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) likely sees more shot suppression with Crevier eating tough minutes.

What to Watch Next

The 2026 NHL Draft opens Friday June 26 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports from KeyBank Center, per Wikipedia's draft hub. Toronto picks first overall (likely Gavin McKenna). Buffalo now picks fourth overall (a swing on a top defenseman or center), ninth, and twentieth. Chicago does not pick again until the second round and holds three first-round picks in 2027.

Free agency opens Tuesday July 1. Tuch staying in Buffalo at the top of the UFA market is now the most consequential follow-on decision attached to this trade. Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida goaltending market sit right next to it.

Chad AI tracks every NHL UFA market and draft prop inside the Stat Sniper app. See more on Stat Sniper's NHL coverage.

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