Sabres Land No. 4 NHL Pick for Byram and Greenway as Blackhawks Add Blue-Line Offense

Q: By trading for a defenseman, did Chicago miss its best chance to draft an elite winger for superstar Connor Bedard?

Yes — in the narrow sense of this draft, Chicago gave up a strong opportunity to add a premium winger for Connor Bedard. Before the trade, the Blackhawks held the No. 4 pick, and multiple projections had them targeting Ivar Stenberg, a high-end Swedish winger widely viewed as an ideal fit next to an elite center. He was described as one of the best forwards available in the class and a player capable of matching top-line pace and skill. For a team still searching for a true top-six running mate for Bedard, that mattered. Instead, Chicago used that asset to acquire Bowen Byram, an established 25-year-old defenseman, plus Jordan Greenway. From the Blackhawks’ perspective, this was a move for certainty: Byram is already a proven NHL top-four defender coming off a 42-point season, not a prospect who may take years to arrive. That makes the trade defensible, especially for a club trying to move from rebuilding to competing. But it also means Chicago passed on one of its clearest paths to landing elite wing talent cheaply through the draft. The Blackhawks still have other ways to find Bedard help — trade, free agency, or later picks — yet those routes are usually more expensive and less certain than drafting near the top of the board. So the answer is largely yes: Chicago improved its blue line with a known player, but likely surrendered its best immediate draft chance to add a potential top-line winger for Bedard.

3 articles · Updated · Sportsnet.ca · Jun 24

Buffalo moved up to No. 4 in Friday’s NHL draft by sending defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway to Chicago, while also receiving defenseman Louis Crevier and the No. 46 pick.
Byram, 25, is the centerpiece for Chicago after posting a career-high 42 points for a Sabres team that won the Atlantic Division, giving the Blackhawks another proven puck-moving defenseman.
Chicago also gets Greenway, a 29-year-old checking forward, as it tries to strengthen a roster that has missed the playoffs for six straight seasons despite four consecutive top-seven draft picks.
Buffalo, which is hosting the draft, now holds six selections and is positioned at No. 4 to target one of the class’s highly regarded defense prospects.