The dust is finally settling on Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson’s first blockbuster trade since taking the helm in 2022. On Tuesday night, he snagged Bowen Byram from Buffalo along with Jordan Greenway, a move Blackhawks fans would normally be in favor of.
The problem for many was what he gave up. Chicago let go of the fourth overall pick in Friday’s draft, defenseman Louis Crevier, and the 45th-overall pick this year. It certainly isn’t common to trade a top-five pick in the NHL, but rumors suggested it was always a possibility—the Blackhawks are looking for star players at this point, not more what-if prospects.
To put it clearly: I don’t think this trade is as terrible as many online suggest. The asking price was steep, but a superstar offensive defenseman like Byram is just what the Blackhawks need at this point. There’s a reason why the most “jacked up person in the Chicago Blackhawks organization last night” was Connor Bedard, according to Frank Seravalli:
It’s because, while the Blackhawks should be actively pursuing a top-tier linemate for Bedard (that hasn’t changed), a really good offensive defenseman is probably the next-best thing. Byram at least partially fulfills Chicago’s mission to get Bedard the puck more and give him teammates to pass to in the offensive zone.
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The other reason I don’t have a problem with the Blackhawks overpaying is because that was apparently what they had to do to get a player like Byram, according to ESPN’s John Buccigross:
If the Sharks were willing to offer the Nos. 9 and 27 overall picks along with a prospect, this was the cost of doing business for the Blackhawks. The same fans complaining now that they overpaid would still be complaining if San Jose was more active in the trade market than Chicago.
It’s worth noting that the Sharks had just moved William Eklund to Ottawa earlier Tuesday afternoon to get the No. 9 overall pick, so this was an absolute seller’s market. With the Blackhawks still looking to grab a bona fide NHL star, I’d still rather be a buyer, and that’s exactly what Davidson did.
I’ll die on this hill with a few caveats. One, this cannot be the only move the Blackhawks make. Roman Kantserov will be a good addition assuming he slides onto the top line, but this team absolutely still needs another star winger—the Andre Burakovsky experiment cannot happen again. Two, this deal was made with a plan to sign him already in place. In his first media appearance for the Blackhawks on Wednesday morning, Byram said he wants to be in Chicago for a long time. That obviously needs to be true, and it can’t be at $15 million a year. David Pagnotta tweeted Tuesday night that he’d guess around $10 million AAV for Byram, and the Blackhawks can certainly afford it. Then, he’ll just have to go prove he’s worth it as the face of Chicago’s defense for the next decade. No pressure.
