Bowen Byram suddenly doesn’t look too bad for Blackhawks

When the Chicago Blackhawks first acquired Bowen Byram, some pundits and talking heads winced at the price paid to land him.

Then, when the Blackhawks extended Byram, the pundits winced again. Chicago briefly made Byram the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL by inking him to a six-year deal worth $75 million.

While Byram had emerged as a solid, high-end NHL blueliner, no one really thought that a $12.5 million AAV was commensurate with his track record.

Well, that changed in a heartbeat. Weeks after signing his deal, Cale Makar blew the doors off the NHL record by becoming the first player in league history to earn $20 million per season.

There’s no question that Makar is worth the money. But the deal also changed the narrative surrounding Byram’s contract. If the NHL’s top blueliner is worth $20 million, paying $12.5 million for Byram doesn’t look too bad for the Blackhawks.

While Byram’s contract isn’t exactly cheap, it doesn’t compare to Makar’s. And that’s why his deal looks pretty good right about now.

And it will look even better if Byram delivers on the promise that came with him when he landed in Chicago.

Byram finally has the chance to prove he’s a top-pairing guy

A constant throughout Byram’s career was the seeming dead ends he faced. Byram was originally a first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, of all teams. However, his path to becoming a true number-one blueliner was blocked precisely by Makar.

So, off to Buffalo he went. That’s where Byram emerged as the former first-round pick he is. Byram’s path with the Sabres, unfortunately, was blocked by team captain and Norris Trophy candidate Rasmus Dahlin.

In Chicago, Byram has the chance to prove he really is the guy. There really isn’t much competition for him at the moment. And while a couple of the Blackhawks’ top prospects could blossom into legit high-end blueliners, they’re not close to where Byram is at the moment.

That’s why this is Byram’s time. The opportunity has arrived to show what he can do. If he can deliver, his cap hit could actually look like a bargain. Player salaries will only go up in the NHL. As such, it’s not a stretch to think that Byram could make his cap hit look comparatively cheap, especially as other not-so-proven players get similar contracts.

It might seem weird to think that Byram’s contract could look “cheap” in, say, three or four years. But it’s the type of contract that has the chance to age beautifully well.

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