Chatter is building that the Blackhawks and Bowen Byram are closing in on an extension, and locking up the young defenseman would make plenty of sense.
The buzz came from former NHLer turned content creator Jordan Schmaltz, who floated a four or five-year deal in the $12 to $12.5M range.
Here's the player at the center. Byram is a 25-year-old defenseman on a $6.25M deal, coming off 42 points. A young, signed piece worth building around.
And that's exactly why Chicago would want this done. A rebuilding club doesn't let a defenseman like that drift toward free agency. You lock him in.
Schmaltz put the number out there.
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What the rumored number would mean at the position
Run the math on that figure. The priciest defenseman in the league right now is Erik Karlsson at $11.5M, so $12M-plus would crown Byram the highest-paid blueliner in hockey.
That's where the caution lives. A 42-point defenseman topping Rasmus Dahlin and Drew Doughty, both at $11M, would be a striking number for his current production.
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The case for paying up does exist, though. He's young, he shoots left, he logs big minutes, and his best years should be ahead. Teams pay for that runway, not just last season's point total.
The timing fits, too. With the draft just wrapped and free agency at the door, this is exactly when clubs button up their own players before the market opens and prices spike.
Here's my read: I buy a Byram extension happening. I'm not yet buying the record AAV. The smart bet is that Chicago keeps him, with the exact number landing somewhere the team can defend, and a true market-resetting deal would be the surprise.
So the direction looks right even if the figure is shaky.
Whether the Blackhawks actually make Byram the highest-paid defenseman in hockey, or simply a well-paid one, is the part still to be confirmed.
Should the Blackhawks make Byram the NHL's highest-paid defenseman?
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