The Buffalo Sabres late Monday avoided salary arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram, signing him to a two-year, $12.5 million contract.
When the contract expires, Byram, 24, can become an unrestricted free agent.
The Sabres now have two unsigned restricted free agents: goalie Devon Levi and defenseman Conor Timmins, who earlier this month filed for arbitration.
By recently electing for arbitration with Byram, the Sabres made him ineligible to sign an offer sheet.
Byram’s $6.25 million average annual value is the fifth-highest on the Sabres. They have $7,390,319 of salary cap space, according to PuckPedia.
Now, what about Byram’s future in Buffalo?
With captain Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power entrenched on the blue line, there’s speculation Byram could be traded to acquire a first- or second-line forward.
While a new contract might take away the possibility of a trade, with only a short deal and unrestricted free agency looming, perhaps he could still be in play.
Teams certainly covet the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Byram, the fourth overall pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019.
He enjoyed a career-best season in 2024-25, compiling seven goals, 38 points and a plus-11 rating in 82 games. He said in April he wanted to re-sign with the Sabres.
He just finished a two-year, $7.7 million contract he signed with Colorado, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Before the Sabres chose arbitration for Byram, general manager Kevyn Adams said they would match any offer sheet.
In team-elected arbitration, the player picks the term of the award. If the sides had a hearing later this summer, Byram could’ve chosen a two-year deal so he could become an unrestricted free agent as soon as possible.
The Sabres acquired Byram on March 6, 2024 in the blockbuster trade that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado.