Bowen Byram just got his Chicago payday, and Jeff Blashill now has a $12.5 million blue-line pillar before camp even opens.
That's the breaking news out of Chicago on Wednesday, with Darren Dreger reporting the Blackhawks are expected to lock in Byram for 6 years at a $12.5 million AAV.
Keep in mind that Connor McDavid just signed an extension in Edmonton worth that same amount, to the exact dollar.
For a player who arrived only days ago, that number jumps off the page. It tells you the Blackhawks didn't trade for Byram to ease him in on the second pair.
They see him as a front-end piece right now. Not a maybe. Not a project. A major part of the build next to Connor Bedard.
That fits what Chicago has been saying since the trade.
General manager Kyle Davidson made it clear last week that Byram was being brought in for a bigger role and prime usage.
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The opportunity is real. Byram put up 42 points in 82 games last season, and he averaged 22:20 a night.
Chicago also finished 29th on the power play at 16.9 percent, so this deal screams first-unit quarterback and heavy offensive-zone deployment.
Bowen Byram signing changes the temperature around Connor Bedard
That's the second layer here, and it's the one every Blackhawks fan is going to watch. When a team hands Byram $12.5 million per season, it resets the internal money conversation in a hurry.
Connor Bedard is the face of the franchise. He drives the attention, the ticket pull, the rebuild timeline, and the pressure around every move this team makes.
So yes, this extension will fuel the belief that Bedard's next contract comes in even higher. Chicago may not say that part out loud today, but the market inside its own room just got louder.
From a hockey angle, Blashill now has a defenseman who can carry pucks out, run a top pair, and take major special-teams minutes. That changes the look of the bench right away.
It also adds pressure. A $12.5 million cap hit doesn't come with patience from the fan base. It comes with expectations, matchup minutes, and nights where you have to be the guy.
Byram wanted a bigger stage. He just got one in Chicago, along with one of the biggest tickets on the blue line in the league.
Now the Blackhawks need this bet to hit, because once you pay like this, you're telling everybody the rebuild just got more serious.
Did the Blackhawks just raise Connor Bedard's future price with this Bowen Byram deal?
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