The Case for the Blues to Make a Big Blue Line Bet: Bowen Byram

[TBone]

The Case for the Blues to Make a Big Blue Line Bet

By Mike Meyer
May 26, 2025

As the St. Louis Blues evaluate options to reshape their defense heading into 2025–26, one name that should be at the top of Doug Armstrong’s list is Bowen Byram — a talented left-shot defenseman who has proven capable of playing both sides of the ice at the NHL level.

Despite being a natural lefty, Byram has spent significant time on the right side during stints with the Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres, pairing comfortably with defenders like Samuel Girard, Josh Manson, and Cale Makar in Colorado, and more recently with Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, and Connor Clifton in Buffalo.

That versatility — paired with his skating, puck movement, and untapped upside — makes Byram an intriguing fit for a St. Louis blue line that is clearly in transition. Add in recent reporting from Elliotte Friedman that the Sabres are “gauging his market value,” and it’s clear the door is cracked open.

This could be the Blues’ opportunity to walk through it.

https://www.sportshubstl.com/2025/05/26/blues-trade-target-bowen-byram-2025-offseason

[BalotelliMassive]

I like the guy but he has a history of head injuries.

[a smell of green grass]

I had him on my fantasy team a couple years ago. He was doing great until he went out injured. I would be hesitant to spend a lot to get him.

[MandatoryDenial]

Maybe its just me, but if we are going to spend a lot on a quality D man, we need to get a for sure right handed side d man not a roll of the dice.

[STL fan in MN]

Left handed, lots of concussions, hasn’t really lived up to the draft hype yet…nah, pass.

[bud white]

I like the guy but he has a history of head injuries.

Multiple Concussions and other injuries. I believe he missed 126 games in his first three seasons.

Hard "no" for me. There are more durable options.

[MrPostman01]

I grow weary of the Blues putting left hand shots at RD or RW. When the Blues finally had enough RH shots on the team, they did what? Oh yeah, they hoisted the Stanley Cup.

Righty tighty, lefty loosy.

[seattleblue]

Concussions, lefty playing wrong side, underachiever, pass.

[skilles]

For me its a player of interest, so I'm probably kicking the tires but unlikely to pay the price it takes to get him.

[bluetunehead]

Like the player when he is healthy but I've got the same hesitations everybody else has. We really need a RHD or at least a lefty who is used to playing the right side.

[SteveR85]

I'd definitely be checking on the price to acquire Byram. Broberg and Fowler are both signed for 25-26 but do not have a contract in 26-27. Same is true for Leddy.

If we added Byram and extended him, I would not necessarily view it as Byram being locked into playing his offside for the duration of the contract. He would also be insurance if Fowler and/or Broberg did not extend. If both did extend, it would be insurance against Fowler regressing back to the mean or declining with age.

Cherry on top: If Broberg and Byram were both signed to 8 year deals, they could not have NTC/NMC applied until the years in which they would meet the criteria for unrestricted free agency, or July 1, 2027 for Byram (2 years) and July 1, 2028 for Broberg (3 years). Blues could extend both to long term deals and if things worked out better than expected (including extending Fowler and him continuing to to perform to top 4 standards), one could be traded with no restriction in the next 2-3 seasons.

[thegibby.]

Kyrou to Buffalo for Peterka. Apparently Peterka wants out of Buffalo (rumor, rumor). Kyrou gets to play against Toronto in meaningful games. Trade could be expanded on (Byram?).


Spitballing. Peterka tops (Byram is # 4) Frank Seravalli's trade target offseason list:

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nhl-t ... gan-rielly

Don't know why the title made me think of:

Disclaimer: The video above is hosted on Youtube, and has not be reviewed by the staff of the Post-Dispatch.