The Case for the Blues to Make a Big Blue Line Bet

As the St. Louis Blues evaluate options to reshape their defense heading into 2025–26, one name that should be at the top of Doug Armstrong’s list is Bowen Byram — a talented left-shot defenseman who has proven capable of playing both sides of the ice at the NHL level.

Despite being a natural lefty, Byram has spent significant time on the right side during stints with the Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres, pairing comfortably with defenders like Samuel Girard, Josh Manson, and Cale Makar in Colorado, and more recently with Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, and Connor Clifton in Buffalo. 

That versatility — paired with his skating, puck movement, and untapped upside — makes Byram an intriguing fit for a St. Louis blue line that is clearly in transition. Add in recent reporting from Elliotte Friedman that the Sabres are “gauging his market value,” and it’s clear the door is cracked open.

This could be the Blues’ opportunity to walk through it.

Proposed Trade

To St. Louis:

    • D Bowen Byram (RFA, $3.85M AAV, 1 year remaining, 2 years from UFA)

To Buffalo:

    • D Justin Faulk (2 years, $5.5M AAV, M-NTC with 15-team list)

    • 2025 1st-round pick (#19 overall)

    • Prospect: Leo Lööf or Michael Buchinger

Why It Makes Sense

For the Blues:

    • Upgrade for the Present: With Torey Krug likely heading to LTIR, and Faulk aging out of a top-four role, the Blues have both the need and cap space to accommodate a younger option. Byram has experience playing on the right side with high-end partners in both Buffalo (Dahlin, Jokiharju) and Colorado (Girard, Toews, Manson), giving St. Louis flexibility on how to slot him in beside Cam Fowler or Philip Broberg.

    • Accelerated Re-Tooling: This move fits the aggressive re-tooling pattern the Blues committed to with the acquisitions of Broberg and Dylan Holloway last offseason. It shows a front office willing to trade future uncertainty for present upside and potential.

    • Draft Pick vs. Proven Player: While St. Louis will likely have the chance to draft a right-shot defenseman at 19th overall, there’s no guarantee of NHL success — or how many years it may take. Byram is already NHL-proven and still has room to grow into a bigger role. That’s exactly the kind of bet a team in transition should consider.

For the Sabres:

    • Veteran Support: Faulk brings experience, a right-handed shot, and power play utility. Even if Buffalo isn’t in win-now mode, Faulk can stabilize the second pair and mentor younger players.

    • Draft Capital + Depth: A first-round pick in 2025 gives Buffalo a second first round draft pick, and a crack at a potential top-six forward or puck-moving defenseman. Lööf or Buchinger adds long-term depth.

Complicating Factors

    • Faulk’s No-Trade Clause: Faulk’s 15-team no-trade list may include Buffalo. If it does, the Blues would either need to incentivize a move or explore offloading Nick Leddy in a separate trade instead, whose contract ($4M AAV) also runs through 2025–26. If that is the case, St. Louis could add another prospect (think Simon Robertsson or Aleksanteri Kaskimäki) and move Faulk down to the third-pair.  

    • Faulk’s Declining Performance: The Blues don’t have an NHL right-shot defenseman on the rise that could play alongside Owen Power. Faulk took a step back in performance last season but shined a little brighter in a bit of a reduced role. That being said, the Sabres could be intrigued also by the 24 year old right-shot defenseman Matthew Kessel and his upside as a future NHL defender as a sweetener to the deal if Faulk approves the trade. 

    • Byram’s Contract Negotiation: St. Louis would need to negotiate a new deal with Byram. As an RFA with arbitration rights and two years of team control left, he’s not a flight risk — but he’ll command a long-term deal, likely in the $6.5–7M AAV range.

Final Thought

For a Blues team aiming to stay competitive while transitioning toward a younger core, this is a move that makes sense both structurally and strategically. Bowen Byram isn’t just a name on the trade block — he’s the kind of player the Blues hope to land with a first-round pick. If they can turn No. 19, a veteran defenseman, and a depth prospect into a 23-year-old potential top-pairing defenseman, they should.

The move won’t be cheap, considering they need to move out salary and an aging veteran defender. However, it fits the organization’s model of reshaping itself on the fly and worth the swing it could have continuing to shape their future.