The NHL trade chatter surrounding Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bo Byram exploded just a few days ago, and the Pittsburgh Penguins should be at the front of the line.

Byram, 25, meets so many of the criteria laid out by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas in his season sending press conference on May 12, when he bluntly said he is looking for a 20-something year old impact player.

While fans may not have identified a defenseman to fit that mold, Byram is on the precipice of reaching his career potential. The left-handed defenseman suffered through concussions that limited the early part of his career after the Colorado Avalanche made him the fourth overall pick in 2019, but after three consecutive healthy seasons, mostly with Buffalo, Byram is becoming the player scouts projected.

This season, Byram had a career-high 42 points (11-31-42) and played in all 82 games for the second consecutive season. In the playoffs, Byram was stout and contributed seven points (4-3-7) in 13 games.

In fact, Byram also checks the other box Dubas signaled because Byram has eyes for a greater role, being a No. 1 defenseman–and that will never be available to him in Buffalo because of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

Byram’s situation and the Penguins align well. The defenseman aspires to be at the top of the depth chart, get commensurate power play time, and be the cornerstone. Conversely, the Penguins’ blue line is about to undergo a significant transition within the next one to two years, as Erik Karlsson’s contract expires next summer and Kris Letang reaches the end of an extraordinary career in 2028, if not before.

So, the Penguins could use more high-end defensemen who will be around for quite a while. Byram checks all of those boxes.

As a player, Byram is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, and has a diverse game. He has the offensive skills to distribute in the O-Zone, the speed to join the rush, but also a bit of a nasty streak in the defensive zone.

Thursday, TSN’s Darren Dreger opened the gates for trade chatter.

Trade Scenarios

Last summer, Byram trade chatter briefly bubbled before evaporating. Teams such as the Vegas Golden Knights, Philly Flyers, and LA Kings were mentioned in various chatter and reports.

However, given Byram’s desire to elevate in the lineup, only Philadelphia and LA would still fit. And while the Penguins currently have top defensemen on the roster, the change is coming, which is why Byram would make sense both in terms of style and career station.

Because it seems Byram is not eager to sign an extension in Buffalo, the trade cost is less than it otherwise would be a for a 25-year-old player who with several years of control. Simply, there would be an inherent risk of loss via free agency to any team acquiring him. That’s just another factor that works in the Penguins’ favor.

Fortunately, there are a few previous trades that set the guardrails for acquisition cost. At the 2023 NHL trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings traded Filip Hronek to the Vancouver Canucks for a first and second-round pick. The surrendered first-rounder belonged to the New York Islanders and was the 17th overall. That summer, Vancouver was able to sign Hronek to a long-term deal.

In 2023, the Ottawa Senators snagged Jakob Chychrun, who had two years remaining on his contract. Ottawa gave the Arizona Coyotes a first-rounder in 2023 (12th overall), a second-rounder in 2024, and a 2026 second-rounder. Illustrating the risk of acquiring a defenseman who may not want to re-sign, Ottawa was forced to trade Chychrun after he signaled he would not re-sign. So, Ottawa flipped him to Washington for steady and sturdy defenseman Nick Jensen and a third-rounder.

In 2024, Utah traded for Mikhail Sergachev, who was 26. Sergachev set a career high in 2022-23 with 64 points, but suffered through an injury-shortened season in 2023-24. Utah gave up J.J. Moser, Conor Geekie, a second-round pick and a seventh-rounder.

The original prices Hronek or Chychrun were primarily based on receiving a first-round pick, but Buffalo is in a different situation. After 13 horrid years of missing the playoffs, the team has finally become a contender. While a package involving a first-rounder for Byram would seem fair, it doesn’t help Buffalo maintain its competitiveness.

Sergachev was one year into his new eight-year deal when the trade happened, so Utah had little risk of losing the player, which also increased Sergachev’s trade value.

Ultimately, the second Chychrun deal from Ottawa to Washington is probably the best guide, though Byram isn’t quite as valuable as Chychrun, at least not yet. So, a replacement piece and a soft draft pick would seem to be a viable scenario.

And it would seem the Penguins have plenty of picks and a couple of replacements they could offer. Or, the Penguins could also go off the map and offer Buffalo a useable forward, either veteran or prospect, and the pick.

But Byram just checks too many boxes to ignore the possibility.

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Categorized:Penguins Trade Talk