The Buffalo Sabres completed a blockbuster trade with the Blackhawks tonight, sending defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Jordan Greenway to Chicago in exchange for the fourth overall pick in Friday’s NHL Draft, the 45th selection and defenseman Louis Crevier.
Now, does general manager Jarmo Kekalainen have another move up his sleeve? Will the Sabres, who host the draft Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center, make their early pick? Or could they package it with, say, their 20th overall selection in another deal?
Kekalainen, who’s in his first offseason as Sabres GM, has reputation for being aggressive.
In dealing Byram and Greenway, the Sabres moved $10.25 million of salary cap space. That money could be used to try to re-sign winger Alex Tuch, who’s expected to become an unrestricted free agent next Wednesday, or to add another established talent.
The Sabres last week traded defenseman Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the 20th selection.
Byram, 25, has one year left on his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent following next season. The Blackhawks could sign him to a long-term deal in the near future.
Why trade a core piece from a team that appears to possess the talent to be a contender for years? Byram reportedly wants the opportunity to be a No. 1 defenseman.
In Buffalo, which boasts one of the NHL’s deepest blue lines, he was never going to become the guy with captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson around.
Byram, coincidentally, was the fourth overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019. The Sabres acquired him before the 2023-24 trade deadline in exchange for forward Casey Mittelstadt.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Byram set career highs across the board last season, registering 11 goals and 42 points in 82 games. He added four goals and seven points in 13 outings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 6-foot-8, 228-pound Crevier, a right-handed shot, gives the Sabres more size on the back end.
Other than 5-foot-9 Zach Metsa, every defenseman expected to return to the Sabres next season is at least 6-foot-3.
Crevier, 25, compiled seven goals, 25 points, 63 penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating in 78 games last season, his first full NHL campaign.
The Blackhawks drafted him in the seventh round in 2020, 188th overall.
The 6-foot-6, 231-pound Greenway battled injuries throughout his three-plus years in Buffalo, playing just 74 games over the last two seasons, including 40 contests in 2025-26.
Greenway, 29, experienced what he called “terrible pain” after undergoing two hernia surgeries.
When he left the lineup in late January, he found a rehab regimen that allowed him play pain free, and he enjoyed regular duty down the stretch. He played all 13 playoff games.
Check back for more on this developing story.