You'll love Byram. Yes, he slacks in regular season from time to time (compared to when he's one fire) but he also elevates his game to the next level when it matters the most:
- Last minutes of WJC final in PK to protect the lead? Sure.
- 26 minutes total with 10 minutes in 3rd period of Game 6 of Stanley Cup Finals? No problem. I doubt there're many defensemen of the same age who can handle such pressure well.
IMO, the only reason why he became available was pure luck on Avs side - getting Toews for 2 2nd round picks, then further development of Toews into a true top-pair defenseman and then, finally, when Toews signed team friendly deal. I always thought that Byram will replace Toews after Devon signs for 9M+ p.a. on free market, but it is what it is.