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The journey that ended with the Buffalo Sabres trading Bowen Byram began in July 2025, when the offensively gifted defenseman signed a two-year, $12.5 million bridge contract as an NHL restricted free agent.
Darren Ferris, Byram's agent, appeared on Wednesday's episode of The PuckPedia Hockey Show and discussed how he laid the groundwork to maximize his client's short- and long-term earning potential by winning a negotiation against former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams.
"I mean, that whole setup for Bo started back when he signed his two-year extension, his bridge deal," Ferris said. "At that time, I think if we would have went to arbitration we would have got probably — I think we were looking at $5.5 million a year at the most possibly. I was able to negotiate a $12.5 million bridge deal, which walked him right to [unrestricted] free agency."
So, not only did Ferris secure more money than they expected to receive at an arbitration hearing, but it left Buffalo with essentially zero leverage when it came to trying to keep the 2022 Stanley Cup champion since the extension didn't maintain his RFA status or buy out any of the defender's UFA years.
The 25-year-old Canadian wanted an opportunity to become a first-pair blueliner and a No. 1 power-play quarterback, which wasn't in the cards with the Sabres due to the presence of Rasmus Dahlin.
Current Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who replaced Adams in December, initially expressed interest in a Byram extension. The club's front office quickly changed focus after it became clear a new contract wasn't possible. It didn't want a repeat of the yearlong Alex Tuch saga.
He traded the talented left-shot defenseman to the Chicago Blackhawks, along with dumping Jordan Greenway's bloated $4 million contract for next season (another Adams mistake) on the Hawks, in exchange for the Nos. 4 and 45 overall picks in the 2026 NHL Draft and fellow defender Louis Crevier.
The Sabres flipped the No. 45 selection to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Olen Zellweger and used the fourth pick on another blueliner, prized prospect Daxon Rudolph.
Buffalo will likely use Crevier, Zellweger and Conor Timmins in specific niche roles in an effort to replace Byram by committee since they didn't acquire a direct replacement this offseason. It'll hope Rudolph is then ready to make a high-end impact within the next few years.
Meanwhile, Byram received a monster six-year, $75 million extension ($12.5 million AAV) from Chicago, where he'll get an opportunity to serve as the club's top defenseman. That contract will take effect beginning with the 2027-28 season.
He'll also get another opportunity to hit the NHL free-agent market at age 32, giving him a chance to land a second lucrative long-term deal.
Darren Ferris delivers high praise of Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen
Although there was no malice in Ferris' comments about his Byram agreement with Adams, it's clear the star NHL agent thinks highly of the former Sabres executive's successor.
"Jarmo's a pretty astute general manager," Ferris said on The PuckPedia Hockey Show. "He's been around a long time. Does a tremendous job building teams. He's, I think, one of the best identifiers of talent out there. But he understands the business. He understands Bo wanted to play more and unfortunately the path wasn't there for him [in Buffalo]."
It's certainly difficult to argue against how Kekalainen has handled business this summer.
Neither Byram nor Tuch, an impending UFA this offseason who inked an eight-year, $84 million extension as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Capitals, was going to remain in Western New York for the long haul, so he recouped the most value he could for them.
Kekalainen then used some of those savings to re-sign rising star Zach Benson to a more team-friendly seven-year, $52.5 million contract ($7.5 million AAV). He also gave Zellweger a three-year, $9.3 million extension ($3.1 million) that will maintain him as an RFA on expiry, avoiding one of the mistakes Adams made in the Byram discussions.
You could argue the Sabres' roster got weaker over the summer, but there's a two-pronged answer to those criticisms.
First, Kekalainen has stated since taking over the front office that his main focus is building a sustainable winning organization. Keeping the contention window open as long as possible is crucial given the incredible strength of the Eastern Conference (and Atlantic Division).
Second, Buffalo is supremely confident it's impressive group of young players, including the likes of Benson, Zellweger, Owen Power, Josh Doan, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich and Konsta Helenius, are capable of taking their games to another level to offset the marquee losses.
The Sabres also have some remaining financial flexibility for other moves — they've been linked to a blockbuster trade for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and/or signing star free agent Patrick Kane, a Buffalo native — before training camp arrives in September.
Only time will tell how everything plays out, but it already feels like Buffalo's front office is in better hands with Kekalainen than it ever was for nearly six years with Adams at the helm.
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This article was originally published on sabrenoise.com as Star NHL agent delivers subtle jab to former Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.
