Sabres thoughts: The Bowen Byram situation could define Kevyn Adams' summer

New York Times

15 hours ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres might not be done tweaking their roster, but general manager Kevyn Adams is running out of options to improve this team. When he addressed reporters Wednesday, roughly 24 hours after NHL free agency had opened, he expressed confidence in the roster he has now.
'We like where our group is at in terms of where our roster sits today, but we'll always look to get better if there's something that makes sense,' he said.
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That's a similar refrain to the one Adams had this time last year after he re-worked Buffalo's fourth line and signed Jason Zucker. A few days after free agency opened, Adams ended up trading top prospect Matt Savoie for Ryan McLeod in what was arguably the most impactful move he made all summer. But that team last season finished with 79 points and spent a large chunk of the season in last place in the Eastern Conference.
So while there might still be moves coming this summer, the question on July 3 is whether Adams has done enough to end this playoff drought. It's the same question Sabres fans have been asking ever since this version of the Sabres teased fans with a 91-point season in 2022-23. That summer, Adams stood by his roster, making a few additions on defense and bringing back the same forward group. The next season was a step back, and the offseason brought a coaching change and five new forwards. That resulted in yet another step back.
Now, here we are again in a familiar offseason. Adams is back for a sixth season and walking a tightrope of his own creation. His first move of the summer was trading 23-year-old forward JJ Peterka, who wanted out of Buffalo after just three seasons. Adams got back defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, two players who fill clear needs for the Sabres.
He's facing a similar dilemma with Bowen Byram. The 24-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent after setting a career high with 38 points. Adams views him as an elite defenseman, but Byram hasn't yet put pen to paper on a contract, trade rumors are swirling and now there's the threat of an offer sheet. Adams emphatically stated that the Sabres are prepared to match any offer sheet. He said the team has been 'strategic' about saving cap space for just that possibility.
That cap space could become a point of contention again when the dust settles this offseason. The Sabres currently have $12.8 million in cap space with only Byram, defenseman Conor Timmins and goalie Devon Levi still to sign. Levi could start the year in Rochester. Adams is being a little extra cautious about the possibility of a Byram offer sheet of $9 million or more.
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But if he trades Byram, his preference is to do it for players who will help the Sabres be a better team this season. That might mean getting multiple players like in the Peterka trade. It might mean packaging a pick or prospect with Byram to get a better player than Byram. Either way, it's an acknowledgement that there are clearly ways to still improve this team.
At the moment, the plan looks like it will be to replace Peterka's goals by committee. Doan could chip in some offense. Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich and Jack Quinn could all take steps forward. But that feels like asking for a lot to go right.
The real objective of the offseason, though, was to allow fewer goals. Only the Blackhawks and Sharks allowed more goals than the Sabres did last season. Buffalo's additions on defense should help, and so should the forwards they added. This team will be tougher and more defensively responsible.
But subtracting Byram from that picture would make things murkier depending on what comes back in that trade.
That's what makes judging this offseason tricky. The Byram situation will help define the summer. If he's back, is this roster good enough to make the playoffs? And if he's not, do the pieces coming back change that equation?
If the answer to either of those questions is no, this offseason will again be defined by the players who wanted to leave Buffalo.
'We have to win hockey games,' Adams said when asked about the idea that players don't want to come to Buffalo because of the persistent losing. 'I could stand up here and I can lay out our plan. I can tell you exactly why we've made the decisions we've made. I can tell you why I think we've done a good job in terms of putting ourselves in a strategic position when it comes to the Byram situation. But ultimately we have to win games starting in October. If we win hockey games, we earn the respect around the league.'
Here's what else we gathered from Adams' media availability.
1. As of July 1, Alex Tuch is eligible to sign a contract extension. He was the best two-way forward the Sabres had last season. He had 36 goals and 31 assists but also led the NHL in short-handed goals and set a new NHL record for blocked shots in a season for a forward with 113. Add in what he brings as a leader in the locker room and the community, and Tuch is one of Buffalo's most important players. His next contract should be a big one, likely exceeding $8 million per season.
Adams met with Tuch's agents this week. The two sides had previously met at the NHL Scouting Combine. Adams said before the draft he's assured Tuch that he's a priority.
'Obviously there's not a pressure point like there is in other situations,' Adams said. 'I did sit down with his agents yesterday or whatever the day was recently and just explained exactly how we feel about Alex. That will be ongoing. There's not the pressure point with other decisions at this point.'
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That pressure point will soon present itself, though. Tuch has one year left on a contract that pays him $4.75 million per year. He'd be sought after on the trade market and would also be a commodity if he were to hit unrestricted free agency next season. The longer Tuch goes unsigned, the more pressure Adams should feel to get it done.
2. The decision to not extend a qualifying offer to Jacob Bernard-Docker was a surprising one for reasons we covered earlier this week. Adams said the team viewed him as an eighth defenseman on their depth chart. Had the Sabres qualified Bernard-Docker, he would have had a chance to go to arbitration and get a reward that would have been higher than the $875,000 salary the Red Wings gave him. Of course, the Sabres could have walked away from the ruling if it was higher than they wanted to pay. If they held on to him, maybe they could have gotten a draft pick for him.
But what this comes down to is the Sabres viewed Bernard-Docker as their eighth defenseman, which is to say, they didn't have a lot of faith in him. That surprised me considering Adams spoke at the end of the season about Bernard-Docker playing well with Owen Power. The depth chart now has a lot more lefties on defense than righties, but Adams said he was comfortable with the balance.
3. The Sabres traded away Sam Lafferty for a sixth-round pick and replaced his role with Justin Danforth, a 32-year old forward who can play center and wing. His two-year contract that pays $1.8 million per year suggests he will have a semi-permanent place in Buffalo's lineup to start. Danforth can play center and wing and was one of the top forecheckers in the league last season when it comes to recovering dump-ins. Adams deferred the decision on where Danforth would play to Lindy Ruff, but said he's a valuable 'glue guy' in the locker room.
4. Mason Geertsen has not played in the NHL since 2021-22 when he was with the New Jersey Devils. He's been stuck in the AHL since that season. But he might have a chance to occasionally crack Buffalo's lineup. Geertsen is a known tough guy, willing and able to fight. Adams didn't mince words about that particular role.
'We needed it,' he said. 'I just think that it's a unique skill set and he brings it and he's proven it.'
Both Buffalo and Rochester have been lacking that type of presence, so wherever Geertsen plays, he'll be welcome.
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5. Because people are always curious this time of year, let's touch on some of the free agents still available. Nikolaj Ehlers is the biggest name out there, but that doesn't seem like a realistic target for Buffalo. Jack Roslovic is an intriguing name coming off a 22-goal season in Carolina. He's a bit of a one-dimensional player, but he would help replace some of Peterka's offense at a smaller cost. The defenseman to watch is Dmitry Orlov. He took a step back last season, but if the Sabres move Byram, he's one of the few players left on the free-agent market who might be able to replace him. But the market is pretty picked over at this point.
(Top photo of Bowen Byram: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)