Bowen Byram trade grades: Who won the Blackhawks and Sabres deal?
Bowen Byram trade grades: Who won the Blackhawks and Sabres deal?
Charles Curtis, For The WinWed, June 24, 2026 at 1:11 AM UTC
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Bowen Byram trade grades: Who won the Blackhawks and Sabres deal?
The Buffalo Sabres are deep with defensemen and face losing Bowen Byram after this year thanks to free agency. So of course he was going to be a big name in trade talks, which led up to this point: He was dealt on Tuesday to the Chicago Blackhawks in yet another deal involving top picks in the 2026 draft.
For the Blackhawks, it's a huge step in the right direction for a team hoping to be a playoff squad in the near future. And for the Sabres? They'll get some draft capital and a player, with the assumption that their blueline can withstand the loss of Byram.
Who won this trade? What are the details? As usual, let's hand out some trade grades for the Hawks and Sabres.
Sabres and Blackhawks trade details
Sabres get: 2026 first-round pick (fourth overall), 2026 second-round pick, D Louis Crevier
Blackhawks get: D Bowen Byram, F Jordan Greenway
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Blackhawks trade grade
Chicago lacked a true No. 1 blueliner. Now? They paid a ton to get one, but given that he's only 25 and he's coming off a career season, this is the kind of move you want to make to take a young core to the next level.
You have to wonder what's going on in the 2026 NHL Draft that's causing young, rising teams to trade their picks, but the point here is fairly simple: If the talent wasn't going to be there at No. 4, then you trade for a young two-way defenseman who will be in Chicago for the long term. GRADE: A-
Sabres trade grade
Trading away an expiring contract at a position where you have strength is some good business for the Sabres. Losng Byram for nothing would have been rough.
And the return is really good. The No. 4 pick could give them an instant impact player, while the ginormous Crevier (6-foot-8) had a pretty good year (seven goals, 25 points) in his third NHL season. An all-around good trade here. GRADE: B+
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bowen Byram trade grades for Blackhawks and Sabres deal?
Source: “AOL Sports”
