Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson knew he would have to deliver a truckload of money to Bowen Byram’s doorstep, and he did exactly that Wednesday.
The Hawks signed Byram to a six-year extension carrying a whopping $12.5 million salary-cap hit on the opening day of NHL free agency — his first day eligible to sign one.
It will take effect next summer, following the final season of his existing contract at a more reasonable $6.25 million cap hit.
A massive contract became inevitable as soon as the Hawks acquired the 26-year-old defenseman from the Sabres last week, knowing he was walking directly toward unrestricted free agency in 2027.
Byram therefore held the majority of the leverage, and he utilized it. To his credit, he followed through on his word that he planned to be in Chicago “for a long time.”
Having just gotten married last weekend in Wyoming, he was in the city Wednesday, first skating informally with Alex Vlasic and Artyom Levshunov and later touring houses around the city.
“[The Hawks] have showed a lot of faith in me,” Byram said between activities. “They’ve given up a lot and committed to me in many, many ways. Now the pressure is in my court to perform.”
He insisted that pressure won’t faze him.
“I’ve played in a lot of big games: world junior games, [WHL] final games, Stanley Cup Final games, Game 7s in the playoffs,” he said. “For being a young guy, only playing around 300 games in the NHL, I’ve got a lot of experience. So I’ll definitely draw on that.
“I don’t think pressure is anything that I’m not totally used to. I’ve been under the gun my whole career, whether it’s trade rumors or pressure to perform.”
As of now, Byram is slated to become the league’s highest-paid defenseman in 2027-28, which sounds absurd for a guy who wasn’t even a top-pairing defenseman on either of his previous two teams. His contract contains a full no-movement clause, too.
He and the Hawks both strongly believe he will become a No. 1 stud when given the opportunity this season, but that hasn’t happened yet — and he’s already guaranteed to get paid like a No. 1 stud.
That’s why this represents such a gamble for the Hawks, even though they have plenty of cap space with which to gamble.
“[Bowen is] going to own it,” Davidson said. “He’s going to prove it and be worth the investment we’re placing in him.”
Granted, Byram will never actually become the league’s highest-paid defenseman. Both Cale Makar (Avalanche) and Quinn Hughes (Wild) are now eligible for extensions that will definitely surpass $12.5 million cap hits.
The foolishly large contract the Sharks gave UFA defenseman Jacob Trouba — four years with an $8.5 million cap hit — later Wednesday afternoon also made Byram’s contract look more reasonable.
The Sharks (and Rangers) were reportedly deep in the Byram sweepstakes, which forced the Hawks to overpay to get him. Sharks GM Mike Grier pivoted and spent much of that budgeted money on 32-year-old Trouba, a second-pairing defenseman (at best) who’s only declining over time.
For Byram, meanwhile, one obvious key to living up to the Hawks’ expectations will be staying healthy. He dealt with concussion issues throughout his Avalanche tenure, but he didn’t miss a single game the last two years with the Sabres.
“I’ve really tried to not put myself in bad situations,” Byram said. “When I first came into the league, you’re excited, you’re running your mouth and doing all types of things to put an X on your back. [Now] I just try to be smart about things and not take big hits if you don’t have to.”
He said he will wear No. 24 with the Hawks instead of No. 4, his usual number, out of respect for legendary defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
