NHL Free Agency Reactions 2026
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What are the details of Bowen Byram's contract extension?
Well, well, well, we finally find out the details of the Bowen Byram situation. And baby, he's going to be a Blackhawk a long time for a lot of money. But key detail doesn't start till next summer. Bowen Byram signs an extension six years, twelve and a half million per year. That is a lot of money for Bowen Byram. However. Is there some hidden value in this with the cap going up? Listen, let me spin it positively as much as I can right now because I know where you guys are going. $75 million. Cap is going up a lot next year. It's already gone up a lot this year. The Blackhawks have plenty of room. I mean, is this a big deal? Wow.
Say that one more time louder. Is this a big deal? No, no, no, no, Steve. It's 11% of the cap. That is crazy. That is unbelievable. And here, Jesse, let me make it even crazier. His contract and Mitch Marner's contract expire on the same day, seven years from now, and Byram's going to be making more than Marner in five of those six years.
What does the cap increase mean for the Blackhawks?
That's insane. Actually, no, sorry.
Six of seven years. You guys want to hear a crazy stat?
Sure.
Bo Byram is the highest paid defenseman in the NHL. Currently. No, he's not. At the start of next year. Yeah. Right now. Wow. Now, Quinn Hughes will sign his extension. We'll know what that looks like. But it won't kick in. Wierenski one day will sign an extension next year. Kale McCarr's extension is coming up. But right now, he is, right now, I believe, the highest paid defenseman in the NHL.
As of, like, people on the books. On the books, right now. For the start of the 27-28 season. No, 26. 27-28 season. Correct. That's what you're talking about. Right now, he's got the highest defensive contract. That's wrong. That's incorrect. How to run your team. Bo Barman's never been the number one defenseman on his team. Last year. I don't know. Has he ever been number two? He was. Yes. So last year he was third on the Sabres in ice time. Two years ago he was second and three years ago he was third. Um, like, listen, the, the argument that I was given by a Blackhawks fans and there's some validity to it is okay. They gave up the fourth overall pick for him. He's the fourth overall pick and he's already developed and no, he's never once had the duties of the person that you want him to be, right?
Can he do it? Honestly, I think he could. Yeah. I really do. Yeah. But... The evidence doesn't support it. The evidence does not support that he can do this. He's never done it. Maybe he will. Maybe he will. He had 42 points last year, 11 goals. Best season of his career. He's had an injury-prone career, but back-to-back 82 game seasons, 7 points in 13 playoff games. I personally liked watching him in that series I streamed, Buffalo-Montreal, even though it didn't go Buffalo's way. You gave up the fourth overall pick plus and now you're giving them 11% of the cap. Yeah.
I want to say this voice. Okay. All right. So this goes really well. And it's and Connor Bedard has a great season and Bo Byram has a great season and Spencer Knight has a great season. I still don't see Chicago making the playoffs.
Yeah, this isn't a playoff team. I think there's enough evidence that we know that they're still in their rebuild era and they need a lot more help than this. This is a start. Getting a player like Bo Byram in there is something they need. At that price, I don't agree with it. I've said this before, but the price for Bo Byram should be in the Casey Middlestad area because that is literally what he was traded for. So we know what his value is. That's a few years ago.
Five years ago.
No, I think there's enough hindsight that we can acknowledge that's just a bad trade by Colorado. It's a bad trade. It is. It is. It is. I don't know. I don't think his values jumped that much. But back to the Blackhawks point, this is what they need. This isn't on dumping on Bo Byram. He's a good player. I feel like it's just a little too much. But if you're not worried about being a cap-strapped team, if they're not at the limit of the salary cap, maybe this is all irrelevant. Yeah. If they have... 10 extra million dollars in space for the length of this deal.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the details of Bowen Byram's contract extension?
0:00–1:10
2
What does the cap increase mean for the Blackhawks?
1:10–9:30
3
How do the Blackhawks' recent moves impact their playoff chances?
9:30–58:52
4
What are the implications of Radko Gudis signing with the Panthers?
58:52–59:53
5
How does Jack Roslovic fit into the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup?
59:53–1:00:22
6
What are the key takeaways from the Leafs' recent signings?
1:00:22–1:55:31
7
What are the implications of the Bowen Byram extension for the Maple Leafs?
1:55:31–1:56:44
8
How does the signing of Nick Paul impact the Leafs' roster?
1:56:44–2:54:00