Joe’s Reaction of the Week (Chip’s Version): What the Byram Trade Means for the Rangers, and a Fix for the NMC Dilemma

T'was an eventful time for Joe to take vacation and request that yours truly handle his (over)reaction of the week.

Eric, Chris, Roberto, and I reacted in real time to the news of Bowen Byram (and Jordan Greenway) going from the Buffalo Sabres to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a package headlined by the fourth overall pick in tonight's 2026 NHL Draft. I spent a lot of time looking for a word that best encapsulated that reaction, and the ones I came up with were: dumbfounded, incredulous, and bewildered.

Don't get me wrong, Byram is a fine player and all that, and his numbers last year back that up. He recorded 42 points (11 goals) while averaging 22 minutes for a very good Sabres team. That's not nothing. He will immediately slot in on Chicago's first pair and partner with the Big Dill himself, Alex Vlasic (you know you laughed). And I'm sure that will be very helpful for a Chicago Blackhawks team that—what's the technical term?—sucks.

But a top four pick, another top fifty pick, and a serviceable young (and very tall) defenseman in Louis Crevier is a steep price to pay for Bowen Byram alone, not to mention taking back the habitually injured and ineffective Jordan Greenway and his $4 million cap hit. So, why did Kyle Davidson make this move, and what could it possibly mean for the Rangers?

Why Make This Trade

Look, I wasn't in the room, but I will bet all the money in my pockets that this was not how Kyle Davidson envisioned this going down. My best guess is that Connor Bedard—who is a restricted free agent and could be a candidate for an offer sheet this summer—and his camp were putting a lot of pressure on Davidson to make moves that would launch the Blackhawks into the playoff picture this year. Chase Reid or Carson Carels weren't going to do that. I don't know that Byram and Greenway will, but it is a clear signal to Bedard during these contract negotiations that they're going to try.

In recent weeks, we've talked a lot about the way players are trying to take more ownership of their careers. Dylan Larkin is a good example. Larkin, for years, bemoaned Steve Yzerman's overly conservative approach both at the last few trade deadline and over the last few summers. This year, his frustration boiled over and he has requested a trade out of Detroit. Earlier in the season, we saw Adam Fox punt on questions about his own future, instead saying that he wanted to see what the team did before committing publicly to returning to Broadway. And now we have Bedard, a 20-year-old being asked to commit for the next (likely) eight years to a team, and he wants to know that the team is committed to him.

Did this get it done?

Sounds like it did.

But that does not make this a good trade for Chicago.

I want to stress that point. But I also want to stress that sometimes circumstances force GMs into a position where they have to make a bad trade for the greater good. If trading the fourth overall pick for Bowen Byram is what it takes to get Connor Bedard to sign an eight-year extension with the Blackhawks, then Kyle Davidson had very little choice but to hold his nose and make this move.

What Does This Trade Mean For the Rangers

Well, let's start first with what it doesn't mean for the Rangers. This trade does not mean that Braden Schneider is worth a top ten draft pick.