The Buffalo Sabres did not make much of a splash on the opening day of free agency on Tuesday, with the most impactful signing being the two-year contract for goaltender Alex Lyon and the re-signing of center Ryan McLeod to a long-term extension. The item that was the most newsworthy was a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger, that clubs interested in restricted free agent Bowen Byram are contemplating an offer sheet.
Sabres GM Kevyn Adams met with the media during Day 3 of the club’s Development Camp at LECOM Harborcenter on Wednesday and indicated that he is open to bringing back the 23-year-old blueliner, who is two years away from unrestricted free agency on a short- or long-term deal, and is open to a hockey deal bringing back NHL players, but that he would match an offer sheet if it were tabled by another club.
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“The moves we've made and the position we've put ourselves in, from the cap perspective, has been strategic.” Adams said. “If you leave just enough room in your cap, maybe where you see a projection on a one year deal and someone comes over the top, you're potentially putting your organization in a really tough spot. So the moves we’ve made and the decisions we've made for weeks now leading up to this point (have been) with that in mind. So we'll be matching and have the opportunity to have a player under contract who we think helps us win.”
Dreger indicated that trade conversations have taken place between the Sabres and the Calgary Flames, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, and St. Louis Blues for Byram, who scored 38 points last season. After the trade of defenseman K’Andre Miller to Carolina on Tuesday and unrestricted free agents Vladislav Gavrikov and Ivan Provorov signing seven-year contracts with the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, the availability for a legitimate top-four defenseman has shrunk to Byram, and Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson, putting Adams in a position to exact the price he’s looking for or bringing back him back on a short-term deal.
“We believe Bo is an excellent hockey player that can help our team win,” Adams said, “I've maintained the same position that if there's a deal out there that makes sense for us that we think is going to improve our roster we're open to it. If there's not, we're not in a situation where we're looking to move him out or looking to move him for futures and stuff like that, for me we want to help our team win hockey games and he helps us do that.”
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