On paper, the Flames and Sabres could be perfect trade partners, as Calgary have not one, but two players that could fit a return for Byram, along with significant draft capital that would entice the Sabres into a deal.
With the Sabres looking for good quality forwards, the Flames could dangle Connor Zary, who has been a good player when healthy, but with consistency issues and a log-jam up front for Calgary, dealing him to strengthen the left side of the defense makes sense. Despite being a left-shot, Byram was tasked with playing on the right in the Sabres playoff run, so the second player the Flames could offer would be veteran Zach Whitecloud, who thrived in a significant role in Calgary, and with a cheap contract with two-years remaining at $2.75 million a year, he's the perfect fit for Buffalo.
On top of this, the Flames have four second-round draft picks and two in the third-round of the 2026 NHL Draft, and while they wouldn't be sending all of these assets to Buffalo in a deal, a combination of them would make sense.
As for the fit in Calgary, Byram would be perfect, as he could play behind Kevin Bahl as the Flames second-pairing LHD, and given that he has 80 points over the past two seasons with the Sabres, he could bring the offensive punch that neither Kuznetsov or Bahl bring on the left side. At 25-years-old, Byram still has a very bright future ahead, and while he may not want to extend in Calgary, he likely wants a significant role, and that's something the Flames can offer him over other teams interested in his services.
Ultimately, there's been interest from GM Craig Conroy before, so with this latest speculation, the team could be looking to upgrade at LHD, and if they can get it done, adding Viggo Bjorck at No. 6 in the 2026 NHL Draft would give the Flames a very successful start to a crucial off-season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google