The Buffalo Sabres avoided arbitration with restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram after agreeing to a two-year, $12.5 million contract, the team announced Monday.
The deal carries an average annual value of $6.25 million and keeps the 24-year-old defenseman in Buffalo through the 2026-27 season.
Byram scored seven goals and recorded a career-high 31 assists during the 2024-25 season after Buffalo acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline.
His 22:42 average time on ice ranked second on the team behind only Owen Power, the former first overall pick.
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams made it clear in early July that Buffalo would’ve matched any offer sheet for Byram, according to ESPN.
“We believe Bo is an excellent hockey player who can help our team win,” Adams said. “But … if there is a deal out there that makes sense for us, that is going to improve our roster, we’re open to it. But we’re not in a situation where we’re looking to move him out or move him for futures.”
The six-foot-one defenseman was one of only three Sabres to appear in all 82 regular-season games last season.
Colorado selected Byram fourth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s recorded 33 goals and 77 assists across 246 career NHL games with the Avalanche and Sabres.
Byram will become an unrestricted free agent when his new contract expires following the 2026-27 season.
The deal provides Buffalo with cost certainty on one of their top defensemen while giving Byram a significant raise from his previous contract.
