While it may be disappointing to see the Philadelphia Flyers again miss out on a coveted trade target, at least they aren’t stretching themselves thin by paying ridiculous prices.
On an action-packed Tuesday in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres traded defenseman Bowen Byram, alongside fourth-liner Jordan Greenway, to the Chicago Blackhawks for the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the 45th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and 6-foot-8 defenseman Louis Crevier.
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Byram, 25, hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status as a former fourth overall pick himself, but buried on Buffalo’s depth chart, the Sabres still managed to get surplus value on his original draft slot and then some.
For the Flyers, paying that kind of cost for someone who may or may not grow into a No. 1 defenseman would be indefensible and ludicrous.
To start, the Flyers don’t even have a top-five draft pick this year, and an equivalent to that value likely starts with the names Matvei Michkov or Porter Martone.
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Then, to add a serviceable bottom-pair defenseman with size, as well as another top-50 pick, to acquire a grinder like Greenway, makes it that much more unfathomable.
The Flyers already have their de facto No. 1 defenseman Travis Sanheim, who is signed at a modest $6.25 million cap hit.
Byram is reportedly looking for double digits on his next contract, and he has just one more year remaining on his current deal at a $6.25 million cap hit of his own.
Yes, Sanheim is older, but he is more proven and established, and will be cheaper this time next year.
The risk of adding Byram at that trade cost, then paying the financial cost to keep him, just made no sense for the Flyers.
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Plus, the Flyers need the breathing room to develop their own players–namely David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk–into top-four caliber defenders, and we can assume that the majority of Jiricek’s NHL value will come on the power play.
If Byram usurps that quarterback role and doesn’t do it like one of the best in the league, Jiricek’s chances of becoming a useful player for the Flyers are undermined significantly.
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If Byram was one of the best in the league, then it wouldn’t have mattered. We, and the Flyers, can’t put that cart before the horse.
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Sometimes frustratingly so, the Flyers are very good at conducting risk assessment on the trade market and finding deals that work for them.
Adding Byram would have been nice, to be clear, but it’s also clear that there was no scenario in which this would have made sense for the Flyers from a value standpoint.
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