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The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking to land a quality defenseman during the offseason. This should come as no surprise because Chicago’s top-scoring blueliner this past season, Louis Crevier, had just 25 points on the year. The Blackhawks’ defense also helped allow 270 total goals on the campaign. Only five other National Hockey League teams were more porous.
The Athletic’s Scott Powers is reporting that Chicago is interested in pending free agent John Carlson. With Darren Raddysh now off the board, the veteran blueliner is now one of the top defensemen in the summer market. Nevertheless, Powers has revealed that Carlson is expected to return to the Eastern Conference. He previously played 16 1/2 seasons with the Washington Capitals before joining the Anaheim Ducks.
Because of this, Powers believes that the Blackhawks could pivot to a trade involving Buffalo Sabres star Bowen Byram. TSN’s Darren Dreger recently revealed that the Sabres are considering offloading the star. “Bowen Byram fits what [Chicago is] looking for even more [than Carlson], writes Powers. “He’s a relatively young, left-handed defenseman who could fit in with what the Blackhawks are building.”
Byram is coming off a career year in Buffalo. The dynamic defenseman recorded 42 points in 82 total regular-season games in 2025-26. He finished the year with 93 blocks and 22 takeaways as well. The blueliner also recorded a respectable seven points in 13 playoff games with the Sabres.
GettyBowen Byram would likely become the top defenseman on the Chicago Blackhawks if acquired.
While the Chicago Blackhawks are interested in Byram, they could run into problems in striking an official deal with Buffalo. According to Powers’ colleague, Matt Fairburn, the Sabres are looking to acquire a quality forward for Byram. This would essentially give Buffalo a safety net if, in fact, star winger Alex Tuch leaves town this summer.
Chicago, however, does not necessarily have what the Sabres are looking for. Instead, the Blackhawks have plenty of attractive draft picks. The club currently has five selections within the first three rounds this year, and potentially four first-round picks over the next two seasons. Nevertheless, Fairburn does admit that Buffalo could potentially use Chicago’s draft picks later to land their NHL-ready forward in another trade.
Assuming they can work out a deal, and Byram wants to join the Blackhawks, they could easily afford him. The blueliner is set to enter his final year under contract at $6.25 million AAV. According to Puckpedia.com, Chicago has over $40 million in projected cap space. Money will not be an issue for general manager Kyle Davidson this summer.
The Chicago Blackhawks will have plenty of competition in the Byram sweepstakes. The Fourth Period recently included the blueliner on their summer trade watch list. Like Fairburn, this outlet also believes that the Sabres are eyeing a top-six forward in a deal involving Byram. The Fourth Period lists the Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks as potential landing spots for the defenseman.
Pressure is mounting on Davidson to provide superstar center Connor Bedard with more help. While Byram is not viewed as a fellow superstar, he would certainly give Chicago’s blue line a significant boost.
Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore
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