BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Buffalo Sabres have successfully avoided salary arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram, agreeing to a two-year contract extension with the restricted free agent late Monday night. The new deal is valued at a total of $12.5 million.
The contract carries an annual salary cap hit of $6.25 million and will keep Byram with the Sabres through the 2026-27 NHL season. Earlier this month, the Sabres had elected for salary arbitration with Byram, who was also considered a potential target for trades or offer sheets from other teams.
Byram, 24 years old, is coming off a productive season where he set career highs in assists (31), points (38), and blocked shots (116), playing in all 82 games for Buffalo. He joined the team from the Colorado Avalanche at the 2024 trade deadline in a transaction that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado.
Prior to joining the Sabres, Byram contributed nine points to the Avalanche`s 2022 Stanley Cup championship run. Since making his NHL debut in 2021, he has accumulated 33 goals and 89 assists over 273 regular-season and playoff games.
