The Buffalo Sabres will hold defensive man Bow Enbyram matching any offer sheet, but will entertain trade offers if returns support the team immediately, according to general manager Kevin Adams.
Byram, 24, is a restricted free agent. Adams told reporters he was not interested in having Byram walk with an offer sheet from another team.
“We believe Bo is a great hockey player who can help his team win,” Adams said.
“But… if there’s a deal that makes sense to us, it’s trying to improve our roster, we’re open to it, but we’re not in a situation where we want to get him out or move him for the future.”
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Adams said the team is ready to match the offer sheet.
“That’s why the movements we made and the position we put ourselves in from Cap’s perspective were strategic,” he said. “If you leave enough space in the cap and look at the forecast on a one-year contract and someone comes to the top, you could put your organization in a really tough place.
“The moves we made and the decisions we made for weeks now have that in mind. We have the opportunity to match and have players with contracts that we think will help our team win.”
The Sabres acquired Byram, the fourth pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Avalanche, in a contract with Colorado at the 2024 trade deadline.
In the 2024-25 season, he played all 82 games and scored a career-high 38 points (7 goals, 31 assists).
In Avalanche and Saber’s 246 career games, Byram has 110 points (33 goals, 77 assists) with 313 blocks and 337 hits.
