Chicago, IL (AP) – Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram has agreed to a $75 million, six-year contract extension with his new team.
The deal was announced Wednesday, the first day that Byram was eligible to sign an extension. It runs through the 2032-33 season.
The 25-year-old Byram was acquired in a trade with Buffalo on June 23. The Blackhawks sent the No. 4 and No. 45 selections in the NHL draft and defenseman Louis Crevier to the Sabres for Byram and forward Jordan Greenway.
It has been a very busy summer for Byram, who got married last weekend in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The Blackhawks are counting on Byram to take over as their No. 1 defenseman — and they paid him accordingly.
“We’re going to provide the opportunity to become one of the top defensemen around the league and we feel 100% wholeheartedly that he can be that guy and he will be that guy,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said after the trade was completed. “So, when you take it like that, a top-pair defenseman and we feel a potential No. 1 defenseman, there aren’t many pieces around the league that are more valuable than that.”
Byram, who has never been the top defenseman on his NHL team, thinks he is ready for the job.
“I’ve just got to come in and prove what I can do,” he said after the trade. “I know that I’m confident in myself. You know I feel that, after this move, the Blackhawks are confident in me, so it’s a great feeling to have a team believing in you.”
The Blackhawks also agreed to contracts with forward Cole Smith and defenseman Ian Cole on the first day of NHL free agency. Smith agreed to a $9 million, three-year deal, and Cole got a $4 million, one-year contract.
Byram’s father, Shawn, played for Chicago on Nov. 3, 1991, in the last of his five NHL games. The Blackhawks had a chance to take Bowen Byram in the 2019 draft, but they opted for Kirby Dach at No. 3, and Byram went to Colorado at No. 4.
Byram had 23 goals and 40 assists in 146 games over three-plus seasons with Colorado before he was traded to Buffalo in March 2024 for Casey Mittelstadt. He helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Byram had 11 goals and a career-high 42 points last season. He was part of a strong group of defensemen who helped the Sabres to the Atlantic Division title and the franchise’s first playoff appearance since the 2010-11 season.
Smith, 30, had eight goals and four assists in 63 games for Nashville and Vegas last season. He was traded from the Predators to the Golden Knights in March.
Cole adds another veteran presence to Chicago’s blue line. He had three goals and 20 assists in 82 games for Utah last season.
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