Kyle Dubas Officially Misses Out on Top RFA Target After Expensive Extension Was Signed Last Night

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been keeping a close eye on the Buffalo Sabres this off-season, both as potential landing spots for their top trade chips and as a potential partner in a trade involving defenseman Bowen Byram.

Now however, any ideas they had of landing the 24-year old are over after an announcement on Monday night that he and the Sabres have officially avoided arbitration with a new deal.

The deal will keep Byram in Buffalo for the next two years with an AAV of $6.25 million, taking him right to unrestricted free agency at the age of 26, with the young star confident that he can cash in when that time comes.

This comes after a 2024/25 season in which Byram tallied a career high with 38 points along with an impressive +11 differential on a losing team, and it was all these factors that made him an attractive target for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Unfortunately though, they'll now need to find a different way to land a left side defenseman of the future, as the team are lacking star power there in a big way, with Byram making perfect sense as a long-term option for the team.

While Byram has flashed potential, he's yet to put it all together in a consistent way over a full season, so the hope in Buffalo is that he can do that now and help them break their NHL record post-season drought, but for now, the Penguins must go back to the drawing board as they look to add talent to a roster depleted of it.