Bowen Byram signed a six-year, $75 million contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team announced Wednesday. The contract will kick for the 2027-28 season and would make him the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL in terms of average annual value.
The $12.5 million AAV of the new deal doubles that of the $6.25 million of his contract with the Buffalo Sabres.
“They’ve shown a lot of faith in me, they’ve given up a lot and committed to me in many, many ways,” Byram, 25, said. “Now the ball is in my court to perform, so I’m excited for that opportunity.”
Over the weekend, Byram and girlfriend Kailey were married in Jackson Hole, Wyo. It has been an eventful week for the new Hawk, to say the least.
“Bit of a whirlwind getting moved and then married,” Byram said. “Now (I’m) down here trying to find a place to live.”
The Hawks acquired Byram in a June 23 trade with the Sabres after he signaled he wanted to be a No. 1 defenseman — an opportunity that was not present in Buffalo. The Hawks will fulfill the blueliner’s wish, likely aligning him with Alex Vlasic on the top pair.
There will be eyes on Byram as he performs as a lead defenseman with the Hawks — and he’s accustomed to the pressure.
“I was a fourth-overall pick (seven) years ago, I’ve played in a lot of big games, world junior games, Stanley Cup Final games, Game 7s in the playoffs,” Byram said. “For being a young guy playing around 300 games in the NHL, I’ve got a lot of experience.
“I don’t think pressure’s anything that I’m not totally used to. I feel I’ve been under the gun my whole career, whether it’s trade rumors or pressure to perform or underperforming, whatever it might be.”
Chicago Blackhawks welcome an elevated role for defenseman Bowen Byram: ‘It checks a lot of boxes’
The Cranbrook, British Columbia, native is coming off his best season in multiple categories. He set or tied career highs with 42 points, 11 goals, 31 assists and a plus-15 rating.
The stats are music to the ears of general manager Kyle Davidson, who is looking to improve the Hawks’ bottom-six goals scored per game (2.56), goals allowed per game (3.29) and power-play percentage (16.9%).
“I’m a big believer that offense starts from the back out, and adding someone like Byram to our group is is going to make us a more potent offensive team,” Davidson said. “Especially someone that we feel is not only seasoned in the NHL but ready to step into a role where he’s running the power play, adding another dynamic and another level to that power play and into our special teams.”
Davidson hopes Byram will live up to his vision for the defenseman, as the dollar signs are only part of the price paid. The GM traded the Nos. 4 and 45 picks of the recent NHL draft, along with 25-year-old defenseman Louis Crevier.
“We saw an opportunity to improve our team and at a premium position and with a player that we believe in a great deal,” Davidson said. “It just made sense, and all the pieces were in place there for us to make a big move on a player we really believed in (and) a position that we feel is one of the more important ones when trying to build a high-quality roster.”
The Hawks remain in extension talks with star center Connor Bedard and other restricted free agents, though there’s wiggle room with the new $104 million salary-cap ceiling. They’ll have $29.31 million to work with to extend Bedard and sign offseason acquisitions.
Davidson did not provide updates on Bedard’s contract talks.
Byram was practicing in full gear Wednesday morning at the Blackhawks Ice Center with Artyom Levshunov and Vlasic. He will wear No. 24 with the Hawks.
No. 4 was for the taking, but Byram didn’t want to take the retired Niklas Hjalmarsson’s former number.
“I didn’t think I was stepping on anyone’s toes, but I wanted to wear 24, (so) that’s the number I’m going to wear,” Byram said. “I think Hjalmarsson wore (No. 4) … and I wanted to make sure that was his — I have a lot of respect for him and what he did in Chicago.”
Byram was selected at No. 4 in 2019 by the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2022. He has registered 152 points (44 goals, 108 assists) with a plus-41 rating across 328 games.
Wing Jordan Greenway, acquired in the Byram trade, is headed into the last season of a two-year, $4 million AAV contract.
