BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres moved into the No. 4 spot in the NHL draft on Tuesday night, acquiring the pick from the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade that sends defenseman Bowen Byram to Chicago.
Buffalo also received defenseman Louis Crevier, who posted a career-best 25 points during his first full NHL season, along with the No. 46 overall selection in the second round. The Blackhawks, in addition to Byram, landed physical forward Jordan Greenway.
Byram is the centerpiece of the deal.
The 25-year-old defenseman delivered the best offensive season of his career, recording 42 points and tying his personal high with 11 goals while appearing in all 82 games. He spent much of the year paired with captain Rasmus Dahlin on Buffalo’s top defensive unit, helping anchor a strong blue line that played a major role in the Sabres capturing their first Atlantic Division title and ending an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.
With the fourth overall pick, Buffalo now has a chance to add one of the top prospects in a draft class considered especially strong on defense. Potential options expected to be in the mix at No. 4 include Carson Carels of WHL Prince George, North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff and Latvia’s Alberts Smits.
The Sabres will host the two-day draft, which begins Friday night with the opening round.
For Chicago, Byram brings a needed offensive boost to a club that finished eighth in the Central Division for the fourth consecutive season and has missed the playoffs for six straight years. The Blackhawks have continued to search for progress despite selecting seventh or higher in each of the past four drafts, a run highlighted by taking Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in 2023.
Chicago already has several young defensemen with upside, including Artyom Levshunov, the second overall pick in 2024, and Kevin Korchinski, who went seventh in 2022. Still, the Blackhawks had a need for another experienced presence on the back end after dealing Connor Murphy to Edmonton on March 2.
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The 29-year-old Greenway is a 10-year NHL veteran, who spent three-plus seasons in Buffalo. He played a valuable checking line role, but has been slowed by injuries, limited to 74 games over the past two seasons.
Byram spent his first three-plus seasons with Colorado, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2022 before being traded to Buffalo two years later.
Former Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams signed Byram to a two-year, $12.5 million contract last summer in a deal reached before the defenseman’s arbitration hearing.
In addressing reporters after Buffalo was eliminated by Montreal in the second round of the playoffs last month, new Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen said he was placing a priority on signing Byram to a long-term contract this offseason.
At 6-foot-8 and 228 pounds, Crevier brings size and a hard shot to the Sabres a mere five days after they traded 6-foot-5 defenseman Michael Kesselring to San Jose. The teams swapped first-round selections with Buffalo moving up seven spots in the order by landing the Sharks pick at No. 20.
The Sabres now have six picks in this year’s draft.
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AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report.
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