Sabres elect for salary arbitration with Bowen Byram
The Buffalo Sabres have elected for salary arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram, an NHL source confirmed Sunday.
The Buffalo Sabres have elected for salary arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram.
An NHL source confirmed Sunday to The Buffalo News that the Sabres have elected for arbitration. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman originally reported the Sabres’ move.
The NHL’s deadline for teams to elect for salary arbitration with players was 5 p.m. Sunday, 24 hours after players could file for arbitration. The NHL Players' Association announced Saturday that defenseman Conor Timmins filed for arbitration, a move that means Timmins has essentially filed paperwork to ensure he receives a raise over the Sabres’ original qualifying offer.
Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram checks Philadelphia Flyers left winger Jakob Pelletier during a game at KeyBank Center in April.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Byram scored a career-best 38 points (seven goals, 31 assists) in 82 games with the Sabres last season, and was a plus-11.
He is currently a restricted free agent and his previous contract was for two years, with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.85 million, per Puckpedia.com. The Sabres currently have around $13.6 million in cap space, as of Sunday evening.
Because the Sabres have filed for arbitration, it means that Byram and his representation would get to pick the length of his contract award, either one to two years. It also means that Byram is no longer eligible for an offer sheet from another team.
If Byram takes a two-year contract, he would become an unrestricted free agent after his contract expires. If he takes a one-year contract, he remains a restricted free agent after this season. An independent arbitrator ultimately will decide the contract terms.
However, the Sabres can continue to negotiate with Byram, even after they have elected for arbitration, and agree to a contract before an arbitration hearing. The Sabres could also trade Byram.
