Buffalo Sabres land No. 4 pick in the draft after trading D Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres acquired the No. 4 pick in the NHL draft in a trade that sent defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

As part of the deal, Buffalo also acquired third-year defenseman Louis Crevier, who had a career-best 25 points in his first full NHL season, and a second-round draft pick, 46th overall. Chicago also acquired hard-hitting forward Jordan Greenway. 

Byram is the key player in the trade. 

The 25-year-old had a career-high 42 points and matched a career high with 11 goals in 82 games in spending much of the season playing alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin as Buffalo’s top defensive pairing. He was part of a deep and talented blue line that contributed to the Sabres winning their first Atlantic Division title and snapping an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.

With the fourth pick, the Sabres are positioned to land a top prospect in a draft class that’s loaded with highly regarded defenseman. Among the defensive candidates expected to be available at No. 4 are Carson Carels (WHL Prince George), North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff and Latvia’s Alberts Smits.

Buffalo hosts the two-day draft that opens with Round 1 on Friday night.

In Chicago, Byram adds offense to a team that finished eighth in the Central Division standings for a fourth straight season and hasn’t made the playoffs in six years. The Blackhawks have struggled to improve despite picking seventh or better in each of the past four drafts — a stretch that included them selecting Connor Bedard first overall in 2023.

Chicago has a group of promising young defensemen, including Artyom Levshunov — the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft — and Kevin Korchinski — the No. 7 pick in 2022. But the Blackhawks needed another veteran leader on the blue line after trading Connor Murphy to Edmonton on March 2.

The 29-year-old Greenway is a 10-year NHL veteran, who spent three-plus seasons in Buffalo. He played a valuable checking line role, but has been slowed by injuries, limited to 74 games over the past two seasons.

Byram spent his first three-plus seasons with Colorado, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2022 before being traded to Buffalo two years later. 

Former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams signed Byram to a two-year, $12.5 million contract last summer in a deal reached before the defenseman’s arbitration hearing.

In addressing reporters after Buffalo was eliminated by Montreal in the second round of the playoffs last month, new Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen said he was placing a priority on signing Byram to a long-term contract this offseason.

At 6-foot-8 and 228 pounds, Crevier brings size and a hard shot to the Sabres a mere five days after they traded 6-foot-5 defenseman Michael Kesselring to San Jose. The teams swapped first-round selections with Buffalo moving up seven spots in the order by landing the Sharks pick at No. 20.

The Sabres now have six picks in this year’s draft.

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AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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