Confirmed Trade: [CHI/BUF] Bowen Byram, Jordan Greenway for Louis Crevier, 2026 1st round pick (4th overall), 2026 2nd round pick (45th overall)

[NYRfan85]

I'm not reading through 43 pages of posts, so I'll make the joke that's probably already been made - Buffalo probably felt out of place not having a top ten draft pick for once, so that's why they made this trade.

In all seriousness, great trade for Buffalo, and WTF is Chicago thinking giving up #4?

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

4th overall for a player with 1 year left in his deal. That's crazy.

The only reason the Hawks do this is that they think he's going to be their long-term #1 dman, and that obviously includes getting him signed.

He's gonna get the opportunity to be the guy and a boat load of money, but I'm not sure if he's gonna be worth it. And if he doesn't want to sign, they for sure aren't getting a 4th overall pick back.

Desperation move, but clearly the Hawks really want to get out of the basement now. And you know, other side of this probably is enticing Bedard to sign the full term.

 

[Kevin Musto]

There are clips of LC wiping out guys along the boards. My favorite involves Tom Wilson. A couple of big checks like in Buffalo, and he'll quickly become popular.

I've watched every game Crevier played.

Enjoy your one-off clips, but that's not a consistent factor in his game. The Hawks front office literally signed him up for MMA classes because they thought he was too soft.

 

[belair]

Not a good guess. Knowing the valuation is partly guessing, reading tea leaves, but most of it is just looking at the pedigree, the age, the metrics, competitive bid process based on position and the trade partners needs.

4 OA + should not only have been expected, it should tell fans just how valuable some of these players are in reality.

This can go back to what I posted in the original teams exploring trade for Byram thread. There is a heavy market for that kind of puck moving d man at that age right now.

You're right, not a good guess knowing what it cost. But that doesn't make it a logical trade. It's already being panned as an all-time heist by Buffalo and there are plenty of outlets out there highlighting how Byram has needed to be sheltered in the past.

Chicago didn't need to do that. There's no expectation for them to be in the mix next season and they could've just as easily thrown a $10m AAV at John Carlson, drafted the best defenseman available at #4 and be in the market for a lefty that comes available if it's still a deadline need.

I look at Byram, I see Joni Pitkanen essentially. With a history of head trauma.

 

[joepeps]

Maybe, maybe not. Sabres are up to something bud with that Byram return. Could be Larkin but will Yzerman trade him within the division? Would require massive overpayment over the others who are likely offering a lot.

It's not an opinion, they both denied trades there and didn't waive this past year

 

[joepeps]

Thomas was willing to go to Buffalo, that came out at the deadline.

So they did they say he declined going?

 

[LiseL]

bedard is an rfa, an extended byram could be the difference between a bridge deal or an 8 year commitment from bedard

Don't see why. Hawks still have $30.8M in cap space this season and that's with the inclusion of Greenway's $4M, Byram's $6.5M and the potential bonuses for the upcoming season. Other than Bedard, they only have 2 UFA's and 2 RFA's to sign, assuming they re-sign the UFA's. Next year's cap is rising by another $10M. May be a moot point as many stars now want only bridge deals to maximize their earning potential in a rising cap world.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I'm not reading through 43 pages of posts, so I'll make the joke that's probably already been made - Buffalo probably felt out of place not having a top ten draft pick for once, so that's why they made this trade.

In all seriousness, great trade for Buffalo, and WTF is Chicago thinking giving up #4?

Apparently SJ was offering 9+27+an unnamed prospect, so there was definitely a bit of a bidding war. I also think it’s clearly just a seller’s market right now. Plus, Bo has the talent. It’s totally reasonable to think he could blossom into a play-driving top pairing D if given the opportunity. If you need a #1D and think he can become that, what’s giving up a few magic beans?

 

[tsujimoto74]

So they did they say he declined going?

Parayko was the guy who wouldn’t waive. I don’t even think it was like a “I’ll never play in Buffalo” thing; it was just the Blues came to him with the trade at the last minute, and he only had a day to think about it. With all the term left on his contract, I respect that’s too big a decision to make in that timeframe.

 

[Der Jaeger]

People here see nothing but victory for BUF, but this is strange to me. BUF just want to keep drafting? I hope not. If they use this to get a really serious piece then great. But if they end up just drafting 4th OA, then they have done nothing to advance their objective. CHI on the other hand paid what it costs to get a top D (I'm assuming they see him as one).

HF is going have to swallow this bitter pill: The team that ends up with the best player in the deal wins the trade.

For argument's sake, let's assume that Buffalo wants to re-stock the forwards. Going off Wheeler's final mock, they take Bjorck at 4, Morozov at 20, and then one of the available D at 45 (Goljer, Shcherbakov, Piiparinen, Morrison). The high end part of the prospect pool for the Sabres would be:

Bjorck
Mrtka
Morozov
Johnson
Wahlberg
Strbak
D at 45
Kleber
Ziemer
McCarthy
Komarov
Bedkowski

With Levi in Rochester, and Poltapov still a future option, that's a top 10 prospect pool. It's pretty close to a tank-level prospect pool, which Buffalo has plenty of experience assembling. It's certainly the type of organizational depth that a team ascending from the lottery to the playoffs would likely have.

But a division winner? That's rare. Especially since Ostlund, Kulich, and Helenius are just arriving, with Power and Benson still ascending. As the Sabres are contending, they should have no shortage of ELCs who can contribute meaningfully.

That tends to be how teams die. They spend futures on the present. Even cup winners are that way. Carolina's prospect pool is pretty sparse, though they still have their picks past this season. Florida is the same on prospects and they've got no 1st round pick until 2030. Tampa doesn't have a 1st until 2028, and their prospect pool is sparse, with the outlier being Sam O'Reilly.

Buffalo could avoid that situation entirely and have more of a Bruins-like run, extending for a long time, replacing mid level players who are about to become free agents with picks, and bringing up players who've had time to develop. Those players could contribute without being relied upon as high end contributors right away.

 

[TageGod]

So they did they say he declined going?

I literally just said Thomas would waive. STL just asked for too much.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

Sabres' GM said his team needed to be harder to play against. Brought in Logan Stanley and Louis Crevier - BIG physical d-men. A visit to Buffalo will be like the good old days of The Aud, when the Sabres had Jim Schoenfeld and Jerry Korab.

Okay just fyi.

Crevier is big. What he is not is physical. He gets consistently moved around by guys who are like 5’10. And he doesn’t hit anyone. Just so no one is disappointed that he’s in fact a big teddy bear on the ice.

 

[Chainshot]

It's not an opinion, they both denied trades there and didn't waive this past year

Parayko declined the trade. Thomas never got to that point.

 

[Chainshot]

Okay just fyi.

Crevier is big. What he is not is physical. He gets consistently moved around by guys who are like 5’10. And he doesn’t hit anyone. Just so no one is disappointed that he’s in fact a big teddy bear on the ice.

Sadly, there remains a constant that people equate height or mass with aggressiveness and physical play. That doesn’t seem to be his game, just tall.

 

[LiseL]

BUF hoping Malhotra is available at #4…though anyway you look at it…Malhotra, Stenberg, Reid…Sabres get someone good

I like Bjorck myself. ESPN's final rankings have him at # 4. Sounds a lot like Zach Benson: high IQ, skilled and high compete level, with the added bonus of playing the Center position. Benson is a fan favorite, would love to have another player who is similar to him. Benson and Stankoven have shown that height isn't always the end all, be all for a forward.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Okay just fyi.

Crevier is big. What he is not is physical. He gets consistently moved around by guys who are like 5’10. And he doesn’t hit anyone. Just so no one is disappointed that he’s in fact a big teddy bear on the ice.

I think for Buffalo, I care a lot more about how mobile he is and whether he’s comfortable activating in the offensive zone. Those are the hallmarks of our D.

 

[Habs Halifax]

It's not an opinion, they both denied trades there and didn't waive this past year

False.

Parayko denied the trade and was later quoted as saying the timeline to make the decision quickly was an issue for him. It's very possible he still will not waive for the Sabres.

Sabres and Blues did talk about Thomas as well. There was no deal they agreed on so Thomas was not asked to waive. That is Armstrong's motto. Deal first and then ask.

 

[LiseL]

Imagine trading a top 5 pick for Byram.

Deliberately trying to lose and gain assets is the easiest job in sports. Especially this sport. Zero expectations and you are given credit for collecting magic beans. Actively trying to win is something completely different and something Chicago front office is not equipped to do.

They’ll have another top 10, likely top 5, pick again next year so maybe that’s the thought process in being comfortable moving out the 4OA. Which is fine but targeting Byram with it is the type of galaxy brain stuff you can expect from this front office.

Well I guess San Jose's GM is also brain dead as according to some reports, he made a substantial offer as well: 2 first round picks (# 9, 27) + a prospect. Could explain why Davidson gave up so much. I also think Chicago can use Greenway's size and PK ability. Also, Jarmo is known as a shrewd negotiator.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I like Bjorck myself. ESPN's final rankings have him at # 4. Sounds a lot like Zach Benson: high IQ, skilled and high compete level, with the added bonus of playing the Center position. Benson is a fan favorite, would love to have another player who is similar to him. Benson and Stankoven have shown that height isn't always the end all, be all for a forward.

I think Björck or Reid are the likely targets for the Sabres at 4. The team’s turnaround last year was built on 2 things: (1) an incredibly mobile, skilled, and aggressive D core, and (2) a pack of young dawgs up front who refuse to get outworked (Benson, Doan, Ostlund, Helenius, etc). Reid and Bjorck fit that mould to a T.

 

[KingsFan7824]

4th overall for a player with 1 year left in his deal. That's crazy.

The only reason the Hawks do this is that they think he's going to be their long-term #1 dman, and that obviously includes getting him signed.

He's gonna get the opportunity to be the guy and a boat load of money, but I'm not sure if he's gonna be worth it. And if he doesn't want to sign, they for sure aren't getting a 4th overall pick back.

Desperation move, but clearly the Hawks really want to get out of the basement now. And you know, other side of this probably is enticing Bedard to sign the full term.

They should be desperate. In the 3 years of Bedard, where they've wasted his entire precious ELC contract, they are not the worst team over that time span because of 4 regulation wins. The lowest scoring team over the last 3 years. The 2nd worst defensive team. 2nd worst record, 3rd worst offense, and 6th worst defense last year, so not all that different than the 3 collective years.

Byram may or may not be the guy to spend that on, but they have to start doing something. Time to add actual players. They have three 1sts next year. Trade those too. You don't have forever. The years start going by quickly.

 

[LiseL]

Likely, plus the 3-4 year waiting time for them to develop into what Byrum is now.

Making this kind of deal makes sense for their timeline and disappointment the draft rebuild isn’t working for them, but not sure Byrum becomes that guy you make this kind of deal for.

Put Byram with a good defensive D man similar to Owen Power or Matias Samuelsson and he'll do fine. He's also been very vocal about wanting to be a 1D and on PP1 so he has something to prove. He'll also be playing on his natural side although it is handy that he can play either side.

 

[Beerz]

Okay just fyi.

Crevier is big. What he is not is physical. He gets consistently moved around by guys who are like 5’10. And he doesn’t hit anyone. Just so no one is disappointed that he’s in fact a big teddy bear on the ice.

He had 125 hits... has to be a little something there

 

[centipede2233]

Request a trade?

He's extending for 8 years now that he has a 1D to play with

Bedard is tired of stockpiling picks and prospects

This is a move that inspires confidence

I guarantee you Bedard doesn't give a shit about waiting 4 years for Chase Reid to hopefully become a 2nd pairing defenseman

I wonder if Bedard cares if byram resigns…..

 

[Kevin Musto]

I wonder if Bedard cares if byram resigns…..

They're probably discussing their marriage as we speak

 

[Habs Halifax]

They should be desperate. In the 3 years of Bedard, where they've wasted his entire precious ELC contract, they are not the worst team over that time span because of 4 regulation wins. The lowest scoring team over the last 3 years. The 2nd worst defensive team. 2nd worst record, 3rd worst offense, and 6th worst defense last year, so not all that different than the 3 collective years.

Byram may or may not be the guy to spend that on, but they have to start doing something. Time to add actual players. They have three 1sts next year. Trade those too. You don't have forever. The years start going by quickly.

Hawks are doing it wrong IMO. They should have taken Demidov to pair up with Bedard. Why? Because you have two exciting forwards that fans will come to watch while they still loose and gather more top 5 picks for 3-5 years or more. This lines up with business case and on ice long term game.

Proper rebuilds are not 3 years or less. They are 3-5 years or more. Keeping the team near the bottom as long as possible is the right strategy.

Hawks have lack of patience and it will result in middle of the pack strategy. Basically a Bergevin GM strategy