Byram Headed to Arbitration w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Byram Headed to Arbitration w/ Paul Hamilton | The Jeremy and Joe Show

Paul Hamilton joining the show now on the Wester hotline. Good morning. It’s a beautiful Monday. Morning, Paul. How you doing, Joe? Pretty good. Pretty good. Don’t you think the uh if the NHL GM tried to do a seven team trade like the NBA? Their heads would explode. Good lord, Paul. I I mean, it would I think they’d all quit on the spot like just upon trying it. Um, has there even ever been there’s been three team trades, right? Yeah. I don’t know how far you know how many team but not seven. No, that I know of. Seven. I just I the amount of uh effort that that would even take in the first place. Part part of that too is the NBA rules, Paul, are so complicated with trades and salary matching and you know, one one thing the NHL might have going for itself is it’s easier to follow as a fan because it’s a little bit more simple with the with the contracts at least. Yeah. No, I agree with that. Yeah. Yeah. No, definitely not no more than a three team. I don’t think I’ve ever seen in the uh in the NHL. Paul Hamilton joining now on the West her hotline. So, some things that happened over the weekend, Paul, um, the Sabres electing to take Bo Byum to arbitration. Connor Timmans electing to go to arbitration on his end. So, where do you want to start? Start with Bum and I guess why this you see the Sabres did this or what what the reason is for why they would have wanted to do this. Well, they don’t have to sit around and worry about an offer sheet now. you know, that some outrageous thing would be coming their way because usually that’s what happens with an offer sheet. Uh uh you know, when uh so it’s and sometimes it gets very outrageous like for the first year of the contract or something just to make it so the other team, you know, it makes it impossible or near impossible to try to match it. So they don’t have to deal with that anymore. Um and they get they get financial, you know, certainty now, you know, now it’s in and Bum, you know, he can elect to either take a one or a two-year arbitration settlement and then that’ll be his salary, you know, and uh, you know, now that doesn’t mean he still can’t, you know, demand a trade and want to be traded and that doesn’t mean the Sabres won’t trade him. They could trade him before arbitration. They could trade him afterwards. Um, it also gives, you know, the other team they’re trying to trade with some cost certainty for one or two years. And it doesn’t, you’re not really walking them to unrestricted free agency because even if it’s a two-year contract, you can do what the Sabres are doing with Tuck right now, or another team could, you know, with one year remaining on the contract, you can start negotiating with him, a long-term deal, or trade him. uh you know if if you can’t come up with a deal. So uh that really I don’t think matters one way or the other. You can it’s not like he will hit unrestricted free agency and there’s nothing you can do about it. Whatever team has him at the time can as I said one year in advance they can negotiate or if that negotiation isn’t going to happen they can trade him. Do you think Byum could because we we don’t know yet, right, whether he’s opting for one or two years on on this? That’s correct. He he can wait till after the hearing. Gotcha. Do you think it would be in his interest at all to maybe even go for the one year? Cuz am I right in that if he said, “All right, I’ll do one year and if they trade me, then I’m eligible to sign an extension with the team immediately.” Mhm. Yeah. I mean, he can go with one year and um I don’t know from his aspect what would be better. depends what what the money is, what the arbitrator decides on. Um, you know, if you go by, you know, some of the websites who try to say what players are worth, um, his worth uh, and on some sites is around 5.3 million on a one-year contract. Mhm. Um, now those those are just guidelines, you know, sometimes it’s higher, sometimes it’s lower, you know, what players actually get, but um, you know, that’s what what people are figuring he’s worth on a one-year deal. But um so I I don’t know what how he feels uh one way or the other. The thing is the trade can still happen no matter what happens in arbitration. So um they may they may feel too that all right another team now knows what they’re getting at least for a year or a two-year contract whatever it might be. Right now, they don’t know exactly unless they get into a negotiation with uh Byum, which I would assume the Sabres would allow. You know, if they find a trade that they would like, uh they’d be idiots not to let the other team, you know, negotiate with Bo Byum to try to come to contract terms similar to, you know, JJ Purka. You know, when they traded JJ Purka, the contract basically was in place. you know that the Utah you know and JJ Purka that obviously the Sabres had given permission for them to talk and uh you know he had a contract almost immediately. Yeah. Do you do you think Paul that they have maybe misstepped or this would be tough to know because you don’t know what’s on the what’s on the table for them at the outset? But I guess how how would you see where they stand now having this player still having this asset that we all think they would like to trade, but maybe there are a lot fewer biders now than there would have been a month ago. Just kind of the timing of it all and the fact that he is still here and what kind of market could still be out there for them. I I don’t know how true this is around the league, but I know here it often feels like when you get to this week, you know, the week after free agency, I think most teams are typically done or pretty close to done with what they’ve done in the offseason. Well, and like like after the first day of free agency, I think more teams might be in on it because they didn’t get who they wanted, you know, in free agency. And I suppose I mean, we’re what, six days out of free agency now. Maybe there’s still teams that are looking for a defenseman that didn’t get what they wanted in free agency, but there were some guys signed in free agency uh like at the end of last week, which you know, but the Sabres were holding their salary cap open, so they didn’t you know, bid on a $6.5 million player or um you know, or would that $6.5 million player even come here? Who knows? Um but uh you know, so they limited themselves that way. I know there’s a lot of snarking about the Sabres and what they’re doing here and what they’ve done and they’ve blown the whole thing. Um, on July 7th, I don’t have any idea if they’ve blown the whole thing. We got We kind of have to see how this comes out. you know, whether he gets traded, whether he winds up playing here uh for another year. You know, I I think they have to see how this shakes or I have to see how this shakes out and how the what the end is going to be there. There’s too many different endings that can happen here. Sure. Whether how much salary cap space they’re going to have. Well, Byron could eat up some of that space or they can make a trade and other players could eat up some of that space or nobody’s going to eat up part of that space. You know, it there’s just so many ways this could end that um you know I just right now for me my opinion is not a holding pattern. Yeah. if they are around that, you know, 5 a half, 6 million, even if it’s up to 7 million depending on what the arbitrator decides. That’s if they get there, right? Like a lot of times it doesn’t even happen. Um, if he’s here, Paul, for this season, I mean, he’s probably, and you correct me if I’m wrong, I I think he’s probably playing with just looking at how the the roster currently looks on paper. And really, they might they might be incentivized to do that if they still would like to do a trade at some point. That could happen in the season. And last year, I don’t think anyone would dispute like he looked at his best when he was with Dalene and they could kind of free flow, move around each zone um very actively and then when they took him away from Dene, it just didn’t it didn’t look the same. So, I don’t know. it one of those endings that you mentioned. I feel like he’s here and someone someone could argue that he’s only doing it because of who his partner is, but I feel like he’ll be playing with a guy he’s going to get good results with. Yeah. The only thing he’s not going to do, I think he would like to be on the power play, you know, when he wants a bigger role, which isn’t going to happen unless there’s an injury. Lindy Ruff has said since he arrived back here for his second stint that he believes in analytics and pays attention to them. If that’s the case, then Bo Byron’s playing with Darene. I mean, that’s simple as that. Why wouldn’t you? I mean, I mean, I I think Kessle Ring is a good match for um Power. Mhm. So, why wouldn’t you? I don’t know why you wouldn’t put him with Dene. And then your third pair would be Timonss with Samuelson or Timonss with Ryan Johnson. Um, you know, and and off you go. So, um I I just I I don’t know why because and I know Lindy Ruff likes left-handed shots and right-handed shots, but Darlene’s fine on the right side and numbers prove that that he’s fine on the right side. I mean, the eye test and the numbers agree that that he’s fine over there. So, I I don’t think it has to be well, we just have to have a left-handed shooting defenseman, a right-handed shooting defenseman. I don’t I don’t think that has to be when we’re talking about Rasmus Dene. Paul Hamilton with us on the West Her hotline. So the Byum situation continues and we’ll see if they get to arbitration. By the way, do you know when that end of July, Paul? Usually. Yeah, it starts July 20. I’m not going to guess. It’s July 20 something. I can look it up real quick. Um and then the hearings go into the first week in August. So, uh, they if they they could be scheduled, haven’t been released yet. Usually the NHLPA will release that. Uh, or they’re still trying to get those things, uh, you know, scheduled and, uh, then they’ll release what it is. So, the other story here is about Connor Timonss, and he did elect for arbitration. Yes, he did. He was 1.1 million last year uh, on the uh, on the salary cap. So I don’t think, you know, it’s going to be an outrageous number that and he will eat up a little bit of their salary cap. Yeah. You know, not a lot. I mean, even if he gets two million, I mean, he’s still, you know, going to eat up a little bit uh of the uh the hearings are between July 20th and August 4th, right? So Timmans, who everyone expects, I think, to play on the third pair to start the year, traded forward during the draft, and then that’s kind of it, right, Paul? who the only other contract to figure out would be Devin Levi and I don’t think there’s really much to do there unless he doesn’t there’s nothing he could really even do right like if he was oh man you signed Alex Lion and now my my spot in the NHL is tougher to acquire and one I don’t know that he would approach it that way anyway and if he did I mean like you you can’t really do anything about it they’ve got your rights yeah they do and Levi has no leverage whatsoever. Not like Alex Tuck who in my opinion has all the leverage you know Levi really doesn’t have any leverage at all as you know what’s he going to do hold out right I mean that at this point in his development I don’t think that’s a good idea for him so uh you know he doesn’t have the leverage but you know I think uh you know now’s the time for they should be negotiating with Tuck which they will be and Michael Kessle ring you know he you can do the same thing with him right now too and you could get him signed to an extension also. So if it were me, I would be talking with both players agents and talk I would assume would be their priority one right now. Oh absolutely, absolutely he is. And and you know they and players understand even though it’s July 1st, but they got to get through free agency and that kind of stuff first. Now now’s the time to be, you know, sitting down with Alex Tuck’s agent. And um as as Adam said, and I have no reason not to believe him, that uh you know, they already let Alex Tuck personally know and the agent know how they feel about him and that he is a top priority for them and Tuck knows that. So, uh just because they they might have waited a week here to get themselves through free agency and this room thing, uh there’s there there isn’t a deadline for this. you know, they they’ve got uh a year if they want it. I mean, I would say all summer. I don’t know if Alex Tuck would be real excited to have his, you know, his team negotiating through the season. Some players are okay with that. Some players aren’t. Um but, uh yeah, there’s there’s no deadline for that. And I’m sure he understands that there were things they had to get through before they can actually sit down, have some hard talks. a uh a week after free agency open, Paul, was there uh you often say it’s silly season. Was there a contract you saw this this week that was, you know, way too much from when you saw it for the first time? I feel like the Eer’s contract, which was the biggest one, I think, in total value, actually wasn’t as bad as maybe it could have been. You know, I I was wondering if he might even get like 10, but he didn’t. He did not get that. You know why I don’t think it became silly season? Because so many players ressigned their own team discounts. Yeah. You know, even if you look at the contracts they resigned with their teams, a lot of them gave, you know, Eklad, you know, they all gave the right, they all gave teams that they wanted to stay with kind of hometown discounts. So, not all of them, but most of them. So, I didn’t even see any, in my opinion, really silly contracts on that side of it either, but unrestricted free agency basically was blown up by July 1st. Yeah. Because of all the players that ressigned with their teams. Uh uh there just weren’t that many star free agents left on the market. Even Brock Besser shocked everybody by resigning with Vancouver. Uh they thought they were at odd. A lot of people thought they were at odds and that would never happen and they’re mad at each other and and the rest of it, but sure enough, he resigned with Vancouver. So, I guess you can’t always believe what you see. Uh and and you know, that was a bit shocking. So, yeah, I I think the reason for that this year is I’ve I don’t think there’s ever been a year where so many players resigned with their teams before July 1st. Yeah, that’s where I saw like I saw a tweet over the weekend Paul like look at next year’s free agency class and it’s it’s headlined by like McDavid and Eel and it’s okay what are the odds though that these players are actually going to make it. May maybe maybe one of them does. I don’t know but you’re not getting like that whole list that ends up making it guys will resign. Tough the only way McDavid and Eel make it to free agency is if they don’t want to play for their teams anymore. Now, in Eichel’s case, I don’t have any indication whatsoever. He he likes playing in Vegas and likes the way he’s been treated there. So, now that could turn bad. Who knows? But so I I would be shocked if they didn’t work out a deal. And I don’t know how McDavid feels about playing in Edmonton, quite honestly. I I I know he didn’t feel feel fantastic about it. I mean, if you saw the look on his face when the lottery happened, he looked like uh huh. He he and Bman looked like they saw a ghost. Uh Bman didn’t look real happy either. And and McDavid wanted to play in Buffalo. If you remember, Erie played uh I think it was a preseason game here. And I remember the press conference where he showed up and was really excited about Buffalo and everything. And you know, he was hoping that the Sabres won the lottery. He wanted that’s where he wanted to go. And uh then the next thing you know, he’s in Edmonton. So, I honestly I really don’t know if we know or if anybody knows how he feels about playing at Edmonton. Yeah. And on the on the EL thing too, Paul, I’m I agree with you. Like, I don’t see any reason why he would want to leave Vegas. The only thing though that I’ve always thought with him is like, does he have a strong motivation to go home to go to Boston? But even that, like, if he does, what if the Bruins are terrible this year? He’s going to sign up to go play for a team that has like 70 points? I guess it depends how good you think the Bruins are, though. Well, he did that once, right? He went through the he went through the no no uh, you know, with the Sabres, no playoffs, and it’s like the hope. Well, there’s hope. Well, this year, you know, they’ve got this player. Well, there’s hope. Oh, there’s O’Reilly here. Well, there’s hope. Well, that kind of feels like Boston a little bit right now. Yeah, we we all know what happened with hope. So, he’s done the hope thing now. Maybe maybe he’s willing to do it again, I suppose, if he could go home. But um he’s always said such glowing things. I you know, he truly seems very happy. Yeah. In Vegas. And uh even when you see him talk about it, the look on his face, you know, I don’t I don’t think he’s BSing. I think he truly is happy playing there. All right, Paul. Glad to hear you in a uh a good mood. I’m assuming that’s because the Yankees finally got a win uh last night. It had been a minute. Did you see the play that Bellinger made? I you know I saw people tweeting about it relentlessly and I meant to look at it and I haven’t. So I’ll do that right now. I did I did re I did put it out there. I did retweet it if you want to take a look at I it was just it’s one of the best plays. Not only the catch the catch was phenomenal to basically Yeah. But the the throw it from left field and and Goldmid actually he kind of deked Lindor because he didn’t put his glove up until the very last second and then he put his glove up. So Lindor who’s looking at Goldmid. Yeah. Doesn’t know the ball’s coming and it is it is like an absolute missile that is right on the money. I I I was just as impressed with the throw as I was with the catch. But yeah, I did tweet it out yesterday if anybody wants to see it. I wonder if Goldmid does that on purpose like waits until the very cuz you’re right, Lindor is very casual going into first cuz I don’t think he expects that there’s a throw, you know, a second behind him. I don’t remember which Yankee announcer said it, but they they felt he did. Okay. You know, because he’s like a fantastic first baseman. he made a a double play later, an absolute shot at him uh that uh you know he was able to stab and and of course he wound up the runner who at first base was basically standing next to him when he made the play. So he just turned around and tagged him uh for the double play. So he rather made a couple of play cuz the Yankees have been horrendous defensively, just absolutely horrendous defensively, especially recently. their shorts stop can’t make a play to save his life. And uh to make two sparkling defensive plays that they probably lose the game if they don’t make those two plays. And I’ll just quickly say uh Dominguez that experiment has to stop. I know he’s hitting well. He makes too many misjudgments in left field that cost them outs. They’re not errors, but he takes the wrong route to a ball and he doesn’t catch it. You’ve got one of the best outfielders in baseball. Bellinger should never be on the bench and he’s actually hot right now. I mean, they they got to go with those three outfielders that they have and forget about Dominguez. I don’t I don’t care if he’s young. I don’t care whatever. He kills them defensively and I think he’s part of the reason why they are no longer in first place because of his defense. All right, Yankees takes. I love it from Paul. Three games back at Toronto. I I would have takes too if I were a Yankee fan. Thank you, Paul. Take care. Paul Hamilton on the Wester hotline. Yeah, the Blue Jays three games up. I am uh going to definitely get to go see one of their games. They they also are hitting and scoring like crazy. I guess the last couple games were a little more tame, but before that it was eight runs, 11 runs, 12 runs. So there’s a nine run in there. Good baseball right now up in Toronto.

Joe DiBiase is joined by Paul Hamilton to break down the latest in the Bowen Byram saga for the Buffalo Sabres. Paul explains the Sabres decision to take Byram to arbitration for a contract this season. He highlights the importance of salary certainty for the Buffalo Sabres and even a team looking to trade for Byram. He also shares how the Sabres still have options with Byram, with the ability to trade him, follow through with the arbitration process, or even signing him to a contract before the arbitration. Then Joe asks Paul about what things could look like if Byram does end up staying on the Sabres, asking if there’s any reason Byram would be split up from Rasmus Dahlin. They also touch on another Sabre electing for arbitration in Conor Timmins, and Paul explains how his salary won’t be an issue for the team.

#buffalo #sabres #buffalosabres #letsgobuffalo #sabrehood #sabresnews #buffalosabresnews #nhl #hockey #nhlnews #wgr550 #wgr #sports

Share, Thumbs Up & Subscribe to WGR 550 for New Content Daily!

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WGRSportsRadio550
Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WGR550
Follow on X/Twitter: https://x.com/WGR550
Follow on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/wgr550
Follow on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/buffalowgr550