'That's $285,000 Per Point!' Fans React To Massive Bowen Byram Contract Extension
The Bowen Byram trade keeps getting worse and worse.
At least, it does for the Chicago Blackhawks, who not only gave up a No. 4 overall pick in a pricey package to acquire the 25-year-old defenseman from the Buffalo Sabres last week, but then signed Byram to a reported six-year extension worth $12.5 million annually, which takes effect in 2027-28.
Was The Bowen Byram Trade The Right Move? - Community Post
Maybe that changes in Chicago. Again, Byram is barely in his mid-20s, so there's a good chance that we have yet to see the best out of him.
What we have seen so far has been impressive.
Byram is a puck-moving defenseman and Stanley Cup champion who took a big step forward in his development in Buffalo this year.
Now that he's joining the Blackhawks, where he instantly becomes their No. 1 defenseman, Byram should receive more opportunities to showcase what he can do with more responsibility.
Still, considering what Chicago gave up - Buffalo selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick - and how much they will be paying Byram a year from now, he now has to become one of the NHL's best. At the very least, he has to help the Blackhawks, who finished with the second-worst record in the NHL, get closer to contending for the playoffs.
That's going to be a challenge.
Bowen Byram's Biggest NHL Opportunity Has Finally Arrived in Chicago
After helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup and establishing himself in Buffalo, Bowen Byram now heads to Chicago with a chance to become the No. 1 defenseman many projected him to be when he was drafted fourth overall in 2019.
Unlike in Buffalo, where Byram was part of a blueline that included Rasmus Dahlin, who finished third in Norris Trophy voting, 2021 No. 1 overall pick Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson, Byram now joins a mostly unproven and Blackhawks' no-name defense where he will have to do some considerable heavy lifting. He's going to be leaned on for top minutes and be expected to produce even more.
And if he can't handle it, then fans will surely point towards his contract - and the person who signed it, GM Kyle Davidson - as a source of criticism.
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This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 6:37 AM.