Why the Penguins Could Target Bo Byram<\/p>\n
The Penguins are in that dangerous in-between space again\u2026 still trying to contend while knowing the Crosby\u2013Malkin\u2013Letang window is narrowing fast. What they don\u2019t have is a young, controllable, top-four defenseman who can skate, move the puck, and grow into a bigger role when the older core finally ages out.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where Bo Byram comes in. At 23, Byram fits both timelines\u2026 he can help now, and he\u2019s young enough to be a pillar post-Crosby.<\/p>\n
He also brings a lot more than just timeline\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Skating & Transition\u00a0\u2013 The Penguins\u2019 entire identity over the last 20 years has been built on puck movement from the back end. Byram thrives in transition and fits that DNA perfectly.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Cost Certainty \u2013 Byram is still an RFA. The Penguins could lock him into a multi-year deal without worrying about immediate UFA leverage.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Letang Insurance \u2013 Kris Letang isn\u2019t going anywhere, but his workload has to be managed better. Byram allows Pittsburgh to spread minutes and modernize the blue line.<\/p>\n
From Buffalo\u2019s perspective…<\/p>\n
This is the type of trade that could really set up the Sabres \u2014 and it\u2019s exactly the kind of move a new GM like Jarmo Kek\u00e4l\u00e4inen is itching to make to put his stamp on the roster. Dealing from a position of strength on defense to address scoring, leadership, and future assets is how front offices reshape a team quickly.<\/p>\n
The Sabres are nicely set up on defense\u2026 lots of quality already\u2026 and more on the way. What they need is help scoring \u2014 and not just prospects. They would really like a young prospect in the deal, but also a player like Rickard Rakell, who could help now and bring leadership.<\/p>\n
They also want a first-round pick. Not sure they could get it, but at the deadline, depending on where everything sits, they could get a bidding war going\u2026<\/p>\n
The Prospect the Sabres Want\u2026<\/p>\n
According to a great source, they love William Horcoff. The son of Shawn, Horcoff\u2019s value is very high after looking impressive and NHL-ready for Team USA at the World Juniors\u2026 he\u2019s big, talented, and checks a lot of boxes for Buffalo.<\/p>\n
The Penguins feel Byram would really thrive in their system. He\u2019s a puck-possession defenseman and truly showed that when he was in Colorado.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be surprised if Pittsburgh starts climbing the Bo Byram rumor chart as we get closer to the deadline\u2026 especially if the Penguins stay in the playoff bubble and the Sabres decide offense is the final piece they\u2019re missing.<\/p>\n
This one feels like it\u2019s not going away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why the Penguins Could Target Bo Byram The Penguins are in that dangerous in-between space again\u2026 still trying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9794,8870,58,5,4,107,100,5782,39686],"class_list":["post-390766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-bo-byram","tag-eklund","tag-featured","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-rumors","tag-pittsburgh-penguins","tag-rickard-rakell","tag-sabres-trade-rumors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115838834740804479","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}