The Buffalo Sabres pulled off a second trade in the last week on Day 2 of the NHL Draft, and it involved a defenseman, but not the blueliner that many expected. The deal on Saturday sending Connor Clifton to Pittsburgh in exchange for Conor Timmins was a reshuffle of the club’s bottom pairing, while a potential trade of restricted free agent blueliner Bowen Byram would be an impact hockey deal to bring significant NHL talent in return.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams met with the media after completion of the draft on Saturday afternoon and indicated that while he is still open to the possibility of trading the 23-year-old, there seems to be an openness to bringing him back either on a short- or long-term deal.
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"I had a great one-on-one conversation with Bo at the end of the season, just understanding where he's at. He's a great kid, he loves his teammates, and he loves being a Sabre, but he also understands that he has this window in his career, and what does that look like, and what are (the) opportunities?" Adams said. "We just talked about that, and I've had a lot of conversations with (agent) Darren Ferris, and I've just been very honest with him. I understand the position he's in, where he is in his career, and (that) he's two years away from UFA, and we'll just keep talking. I don't think it's great for me to publicly talk about any sort of contract negotiations, but what he knows is we like him, we believe in him. We think he makes our team better with him on it, but if there's a trade to make that makes sense, and we think it's the right thing to do, we'll do it."
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated before the draft that the Vegas Golden Knights have interest in Byram, but that the market for Byram had not been as brisk as the Sabres would have liked. The Sabres are again looking for players in return for him, and not a deal like the NY Islanders pulled off with Montreal for RFA defenseman Noah Dobson, who was one year away from unrestricted free agency.
With the draft completed and free agency beginning on Tuesday, the Sabres may find it easier to pull off a trade after teams strike out on the open market, but Byram is not the only blueliner out there that teams covet. Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson is right-handed and older than Byram, but teams looking to add to their defense, the 28-year-old gives those teams options if they believe that Adams is looking for too much in return.
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