The Buffalo Sabers traded left guard Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 4), a 2026 second-round pick (No. 45), and left guard Louis Crevier.
The 25-year-old Byram earns $6.25 million and is in the final year of his contract. There are reports that he may want $10 million-plus in the extension. He will be a UFA after next season. He has been stuck behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, and is looking for top pairing minutes.
The 29-year-old Greenway is in the final year of his $4 million contract. The Blackhawks added $9.35 million to their deal.
Thoughts from the media
Frank Seravalli: “The gist of why Buffalo traded Byram and why the Hawks want him. Calculus has changed today. With San Jose potentially holding Stenberg and now a 9-year-old defenseman, Chicago felt more confident in Byram’s proven ability and upside than betting on what would be available at No.
Mark Lazarus: “I’m legitimately surprised by this Blackhawks trade. The last time I had this feeling was after trading, what, Phil Danault and second round picks for Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise?”
Mark Lazarus: “And I love Bo Byram! He’s a fun guy in Chicago. But the price is amazing.”
Darren Dreger: “Sources say Byram is excited to join the Blackhawks. He wants a bigger role. It’s safe to say the job will be done on an extension soon.”
Cam Robinson: “I believe the Sabers will hold on to that 4th overall pick and target a center. If Malhotra is out, look for Viggo to find his way into the 5th.”
The Dobber: “Byram finally got healthy – 164 straight games. He was buried behind Dahlin. A little 1:36 PP time playing with the second unit. Second guys. And he still scored 42 points? Now double the PPTOI. By Bedard. Anyone still not in his prime. Whatever you think Byram’s upsides – Chicago will say – will tell him everything. don’t sleep to Byram.”
Justin Bourne: “On all “both sides” of this thing, we have a Byrum believer here. Chicago should start adding NHL players and this points to a new direction, a new purpose.”
Austin Stanovich: “I love both of those players from BUF but holy crap is it overpaying. You need a lot of confidence. Byram is a great guy if that’s what you give him up for.”
Charlie O’Connor: “This trade is exciting. The last time there was a top-5 trade in the NHL (both teams knew it was a top-5) was 2008. 18 years ago. This doesn’t happen. GMs are always messing around. And what’s finally happening with… Bowen Byram??? With the right to overpay him???”
Evan Rawal: “Insane overpay but if Bowen Byram believes he’s #1, he won’t find a better place to show it than Chicago. It certainly feels like Buffalo, a team that could use a goaltender, has the balls to get one now…”
Byram’s active fourth-forward style game isn’t exactly my favorite, and he’ll need his teammates to be sharp to thrive, but there’s clearly a lot of potential here. It will be interesting to see how he fits in Chicago, especially given the #1 role. pic.twitter.com/YfVpwMHzEn
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) June 24, 2026
