The Chicago Blackhawks traded for Bowen Byram ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft and then extended him to a long-term, lucrative contract that kicks in after this upcoming season. They have a lot of faith in him to become a true star.
After becoming the 4th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Byram has spent his entire NHL career in the shadows of other elite defenseman. With the Colorado Avalanche, he was behind Cale Makar, and with the Buffalo Sabres, he was behind Rasmus Dahlin.
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Other defenders like Devon Toews and Owen Power were also there along the way in his career, so he never had that chance to shine truly.
The Blackhawks have allowed him to be a number-one defenseman, and it’s on him now to run with that chance. The offensive forwards on the team will be mutually beneficial to his game if everything goes as planned.
Byram is not an old player by any means at 25 years old, but he is older than Wyatt Kaiser, Artyom Levshunov, and Sam Rinzel, among other players who could slot onto the blue line at some point.
On Sunday night, the list of the top 20 defensemen in the NHL was revealed by the league, and it did not include Byram. Cale Makar came in at number 1, Rasmus Dahlin was number 4, and Devon Toews rounded out the top 20, but Byram wasn’t able to crack the list.
In 2025-26, Byram had 11 goals and 31 assists for 42 points on a Buffalo Sabres team that went to the playoffs and won a round. He was the number two option when it came to offense from the back end on the power play and at even strength and still put up good numbers, but not good enough to make the list.
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So what type of numbers would he have to accumulate to make this list next year heading into his age-26 season? He is not going to be one of the league’s top defensive defenseman, but he’s good enough to complement a strong game offensively from the back end. 15 goals or more along with north of 60 points could get him a nod on the list. Surpassing 70 or more would almost guarantee it.
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