There’s been speculation about the Vancouver Canucks trying to get deals done for former Vancouver Giants star Bowen Byram during his time with both Colorado and Buffalo.
The Cranbrook product and former Vancouver Giants star defenceman was in town Tuesday, helping the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Canucks at Rogers Arena.
There was trade speculation centring around the Canucks and Byram in his first NHL stop with the Colorado Avalanche and it’s continued in his time with the Sabres. He doesn’t duck the idea that such scuttlebutt can be out there, but he maintains that his attention is focused elsewhere.
“It’s part of the job for you guys, right? It’s not a big deal,” Byram, 23, said rather matter of factly of the rumour mill after the morning skate on Tuesday. “You always end up hearing stuff. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to do my job here. That’s what I can control.
“It’s part of the business. It’s the way things go. I’m trying to focus on doing my job.”
He had concussion issues for a time with Colorado, but played 73 regular-season games last season between the Avalanche and the Sabres. Colorado dealt him last March to Buffalo for centre Casey Mittelstadt, 26. It’s easy to suggest that having been traded already so early in his career has him centred on controlling what he can.
Byram played the right side on Buffalo’s first pairing on Tuesday against the Canucks with Dahlin and they were both plus three. On the season, Byram is second on the Sabres in ice time (23:13 per game), just behind Dahlin (24:31) and just ahead of Power (22:23), and he’ssecond on the team in plus-minus (plus seven), trailing winger Alex Tuch (plus 14).
As well, Byram has five goals and 23 points in 47 games.
“It’s hard to block it out. You’re trying to earn a raise or a longer deal — whatever it might be,” Byram said of the contract. “I definitely find myself thinking about it, but I do try to focus on playing my game and especially playing strong defensively. It’s not easy at times, but it is what it is.”
The Sabres (18-24-5) are struggling, sitting 30th in the 32-team league as of Wednesday morning. That, unfortunately for Sabre fans, is on brand, considering the team sports the longest active post-season-appearance drought (2010-11) and post-season-series win drought (2006-07) in the NHL.
“It’s been an up-and-down season, but we have a great group of guys and there’s definitely no quit in our room,” Byram said. “We’re a young team that’s trying to find its way. It’s not easy. You’re playing against really good teams every night. I feel like we have to stay the course. We have a game plan and we have to execute it every night.”
He had some built-in buddies when he arrived in Buffalo. Byram and centre Dylan Cozens, 23, who was the No. 7 pick by the Sabres in that 2019 draft, played together with Yale Academy in Abbotsford in 2016-17.
And centre Peyton Krebs, 23, was teammates with both Byram and Cozens on the 2021 Canadian world junior team. Krebs also played two seasons for Byram’s hometown Kootenay Ice in the WHL before they moved from Cranbrook to become the Winnipeg Ice for the 2019-20 season.
“I think I called him first,” Byram said of Cozens after the trade from Colorado to Buffalo was announced, “and then Krebsie called me right after that. It’s been pretty fun to be reunited with some of my buddies. It helped me feel comfortable right off the bat. I was pretty lucky to have that situation. There’s a lot of teams I could have went to where I wouldn’t have known anyone.”
