It was written in the stars for Bowen Byram and the Chicago Blackhawks. It was just a few years overdue.
His dad, Shawn Byram, played a single game of his short NHL stint with the Hawks in the 1991-92 season. Bowen called it “pretty cool,” but it took a little more to sway his hometown fandom.
Hailing from Cranbrook, British Columbia, the 25-year-old defenseman cheered for his local Vancouver Canucks. He grew up watching his favorite hockey club fall to the Hawks multiple times in both the regular season and playoffs.
After multiple defeats, the dam finally broke — if you can beat them, join them.
“The Canucks seemed to always lose to the Hawks in the playoffs, so I thought that (the Hawks were) the perfect team to cheer for,” Byram said. “Everyone knows the success the team was having at that time.”
Fast forward to 2026 — Byram is now a Hawk, following in the footsteps of his dad. They hope his tenure will be longer than his father’s.
The Hawks added to the NHL draft week trade chaos Tuesday night when they acquired Byram and forward Jordan Greenway from the Buffalo Sabres. It scratched off a to-do list task for general manager Kyle Davidson, adding an experienced blueliner to his defenseman corps.
Byram is eligible for an extension on July 1 — one he’s eager to sign.
“I know Chicago’s a great place to play (and a) really good organization,” Byram said. “I plan on being in Chicago for a long time. I’m hoping when the time comes, we can figure something out.”
Davidson shared his vision for Byram with the Hawks on Wednesday. The selling point of the defenseman was how he could elevate his other youthful blueliners.
“It provides us with a proven, legitimate, top-of-the-line defenseman that we feel can play every situation, step in, be an offensive play driver for us, run the power play (and) also provide a player who can play left and right side,” Davidson said. “It helps to give the coaches options at the top of the defensive lineup to allow easier assignments for some of the young players trying to break into the league and develop in the NHL.
“It checks a lot of boxes.”
Byram is coming off the best season of his career in 2025-26. The blueliner scored 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists), blocked 93 shots, had 22 takeaways and a 22:20 average ice time.
The Sabres ranked 21st in power play percentage at 19.5%.
It was the first move of the offseason for Davidson, one that didn’t take long to get people talking. The chatter, however, was more about what the Hawks sacrificed to acquire the former Sabre.
The receipt for Byram and Greenway included the Nos. 4 and 45 picks of this year’s draft, along with 25-year-old defenseman Louis Crevier. A hefty price to pay, especially after Crevier’s breakout season, where he scored 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) with one of the hardest slap shots in the league to complement his 95 blocked shots and 124 hits.
It was well worth the purchase, Davidson said. He sees Byram becoming the Hawks’ No. 1 defenseman.
“It’s part of the transaction and part of give and take in getting a deal done — unfortunately, you have to give to get and that was part of the give,” Davidson said of Crevier. “You don’t feel 100% comfortable in giving every piece up, (but) in our mind, it was ‘what do we need to do to get (Byram)’, (and that’s) what it was and we moved forward with confidence.
“We feel 100% wholeheartedly (Byram) can be that guy and will be that guy. When you take it like that — a top-pair and potential No. 1 defenseman — there aren’t many pieces around the league more valuable than that. The natural progression of his game is going to find the value for us in the transaction.”
Davidson called it a “top priority” to extend his newest acquisition.
Bryam was drafted No. 4 by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019, then traded to the Sabres in 2024. Early in his career, he struggled with injuries, specifically concussions, that kept him from playing more than 42 games in any of his first three seasons.
The previous two campaigns have displayed the blueliner’s newfound durability, as he played a full 82 games in both. It’s a welcome addition to an already quality resume, which includes a career +41 plus/minus rating.
Now, he’ll bring those talents to the United Center.
“My job is just to be myself — I break (and) move the puck well, I think I’ll get the puck into the hands of our forwards quickly and efficiently,” Bryam said. “That’s really important, you want your skilled forwards having the puck and creating and attacking.”
The Hawks are still trying to lock up their most-skilled forward, Connor Bedard, though Davidson didn’t provide any updates regarding the contract matter. Byram and Bedard, 20, are both from British Columbia, so there’s already some familiarity for the defenseman.
The pair talked on the phone after the trade news broke and shared their excitement about sharing the ice.
“I know Connor from skating with him in the summer a few times in Vancouver two, three, four years ago,” Byram said. “It’s hard to describe when you finally get to somewhere you want to be.
“I’m super excited to get the opportunity to play with him — everyone knows how great of a player he is.”
Byram will recognize one of his teammates with the arrival of Greenway. The winger scored six points (one goal, five assists) in 40 regular-season games.
Davidson sees the 6-foot-6, 231-pound forward as a revamp to the Hawks’ bottom six.
“Jordan brings a heaviness (and) physicality to our group that we could use,” Davidson said. “He’s a really big body that can get in on the forecheck and make life difficult for opposing defenders.”
Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen stated on Wednesday that he attempted to convince Byram to resign with Buffalo, but to no avail. He wanted the chance to be a No. 1 defenseman, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reported.
He’ll get his shot with the Hawks.
“I’ve been preparing for an opportunity like this for a long time,” Byram said. “I’m proud to put the Blackhawks jersey on (and) help the team improve and help the team win.”
