NHL Rumors: Insider hearing “strong whispers” of Bowen Byram offer sheet as Sabres weigh trade options

There are strong rumors that Bowen Byram may receive an offer sheet in free agency. Byram, a Buffalo Sabres defenseman, is a restricted free agent, and his last deal with the team was for two years and $7.7 million. That contract had a $3.85 million cap hit per season, which he finished after the 2024-25 season.

On Thursday’s episode of "The Chris Johnston Show," NHL insider Chris Johnston said there are “strong whispers” around the situation.

"The Byram situation in particular is kind of interesting, because there are certainly (strong) whispers out there, ...of an offer sheet," Johnston said (Timestamp: 27:52). "As of this moment, he hasn't signed one, but he's two years from being a UFA. He gets something in the kind of contract that, you know, maybe the Sabres wouldn't necessarily want to match for him."

Byram has not signed anything yet, but teams are showing interest. The Sabres are also open to trading Byram, but not for future picks. They want players who can help now. If they match an offer sheet, they can’t trade Byram for 12 months.

If Byram signs an offer sheet, the Sabres can choose to match it or let him go. If they don’t match, they will get draft picks. The return would likely be a first and third-round pick, or possibly a first, second and third-round pick. That depends on how much money is offered.

"That's basically somewhere on that $7 million mark is where he's likely to land, if he ends up signing an offer sheet." Johnston added. "I still think they're willing to trade them now, but they have to get something back that works."

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Buffalo Sabres GM's comments on Bowen Byram

Speaking on Wednesday, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said the team will match any offer sheet for Bowen Byram. He called Byram a strong player who can help them win.

"If there is a deal out there that makes sense for us, that is going to improve our roster, we're open to it," Adams said. "But we're not in a situation where we're looking to move him out or move him for futures."

Adams said their salary cap plan was made to handle this, and that they would match any offer sheet:

"The decisions we've made and decisions we've made for weeks now are with that (cap) in mind. We'll be matching and have the opportunity to have a player under contract who we think helps our team win."

Bowen Byram had his best NHL season in 2024-25, in which he played all 82 games and scored seven goals with 31 assists. That gave him 38 points. He also had a plus-minus rating of 11. His average ice time was 22:41 per game, the highest of his career.