Bowen Byram Joins Sabres Live | Buffalo Sabres

Bowen Byram Joins Sabres Live | Buffalo Sabres

Bo, thanks for the time. Great to see you. Um, can you give us a little description as to just how this process has been to get to this point with the New Deal? Uh, yeah, you know, there’s always a little bit of um I don’t know what you want to call it. Uh, whether it’s tension or whatever it might be. Um, you know, I’m trying to do the best for me and the team’s trying to do the best for them. So, and then um, you know, eventually you come to an agreement, it’s all good. So, um, I kind of enjoy the process. you know, it’s fun kind of getting to learn that learn that side of the game a little more. So, um, yeah, but it all worked out well. So, in full disclosure, I never had longer than a two-year deal. Like my entry- level deal was three, but I went two years and one year and two years my whole career. So, when people are it’s only two years like it like I don’t see any problem. And I think like as a player, a lot of players want the six, seven, eight years, but I like the 2-year deal for you, for the team to say, you know what, you have confidence in yourself. You go out and play a couple of years, maybe that opens even more. Like, how do you like that short term, which a lot of players are kind of trending towards now? Yeah, for sure. I think you’re starting to kind of see um a bit of a a bit of a shift um like you said, with players taking shorter term deals. Um, I just think for me it it worked well. You know, I still think um I have a lot of room to grow as a player and and a person and um you know, I see myself continuing to get better. So, um you know, it kind of gives me another chance to um sign whether it’s one or two more deals down the road in the future. Um, and yeah, I’m just uh, you know, I’m happy it’s it’s done and out of the way now and I can focus on getting prepared for the season and um, you know, getting back with the guys and getting on the ice which we’re all excited to do. Well, obviously we are all focused on the next two years because that’s the latest contract, but how would you describe the portions of the, you know, the first two seasons here in Buffalo and thus what you want to take and grow from? Yeah, I think um as a team, you know, um I mean I was only there for a short amount of time uh the year I got traded, but I thought last year um especially down the stretch throughout the year, we took a lot of big steps as a team defensively and and whatnot. And uh that’s something that we want to grow on, right? To be a good team, you got to be a good defensive team. And um it’s it’s unfortunate, you know, that we had that 10 game slot or whatever it was early on in the season cuz without that, we would have been right there battling for a playoff spot. So, um and personally, I think, um you know, I’ve been pretty happy with my time in Buffalo. I think I’ve mentioned it before that I’ve got an opportunity to play a bigger role and um you know play more minutes on whether it’s the offensive side, power play, penalty kill. Um so I’m happy with that and um yeah, just try to continue to grow no matter uh who I’m playing with or what kind of situations I’m put into. I I uh like I said, I think um as a player, I have a lot more to give and um I’m looking forward to having that opportunity to do so. The numbers when you play with Rasmus Dalene are are are really really good. Like I I did this exercise earlier in the week. You guys were top five in most categories at number one in in goal differential when you look at goals for when on the ice versus goals against. Um but Jana Goldman from the Athletic Thursday when we had her on Sabres Live, she said she wanted to ask you a question. So, I’m going to be the the guy that asked, but she basically wanted to know how do you adjust your game when you’re playing with or without Rasmus Stalin because there’s got to be a difference in playing with dolls compared to when you’re not playing with him. Yeah, for sure. Well, I think the biggest difference is probably um Ras is one of the best defenseman in the world, right? So, uh that would definitely be the major difference. Um, so when you’re on the ice with them, obviously the game’s a lot easier on you a lot of times. Um, and uh, yeah, I don’t know. When I’m playing with him, I just try to take take care of the defensive side of the puck. Um, you know, make sure that I’m hanging back and giving him the freedom to get up ice and enjoy the play and do his thing. But I also try not to let it take away from from my own game too much, you know. Um, I think we we play quite well together. We we balance each other out quite well and um, you know, we both kind of think the game in a similar way and are able to move the puck up the ice together, get the puck in our forwards hands. So, um, really enjoy playing with them and um, like you said, when I’m not playing with them, I don’t really know if my my mindset or how I approach the game changes all that much. Um, you know, now no matter who I’m playing with, I try to take care of the defensive side of the puck and um, you know, be a good puck transport transporter, whether it’s passing the puck or skating the puck, whatever it might be. Um, but yeah, like I’ve said multiple times, I I think I need to continue to get better and I think I can continue to get better. So, um, no matter who I’m on the ice with, I just need to focus on myself and and growing my game. There seems to be a bit of a fixation in this market, which could be partly my fault and Marty’s fault because we’re on the air every day, but I I think we speak of this because other people, including the GM and coaches, talk about this kind of stuff. With the addition of Kessle Ring, a right shot defenseman, a lot of people are talking about just getting stability in the pairings, perhaps power and Kessle Ring, and you and Dy. How much do you think about this? How much do you talk about the coaches in season? Have you talked about it at all with the organization, GM or coach, since you got your deal done? Um, I mean, I don’t know if I’ve talked directly about it. Um, you know, it’s definitely nice when you have a solid partner, whether it’s throughout the year or certain stretch of games, whatever it might be. you know, you kind of get to learn um more about their game, how they like to do things, how they do things, whatever their tendencies. Um so it makes it a little easier, but there’s also times through the season where people get hurt, whatever happens, I’m not playing well, someone else is not playing well, things get shuffled around, right? Um so that’s obviously going to happen. It’s never totally going to be a stagnant thing. Um, but I think with the addition of Kessle Ring there, that’ll really help us out because, um, you know, we were kind of missing a big right-handed shot, which has been well documented, I’m sure, over the last x amount of years. So, um, I think we’re all really exciting excited for that, whether it’s I don’t know, like you said, whether it’s me playing with him, Owen playing with him, Rasmus playing with him, Sammy playing with him, whatever it might be. Um, I think he’s just going to be a big help, you know. Um, we’ve had a lot of lefty, lefty pairs over the years and, uh, I think we’ve done a good job with it, but having a couple more right-handed shots mixed in definitely simplifies things for us and makes it a little more more easy. So, um, yeah, I think we’re all really excited about that acquisition for sure. When I said I brought up the numbers that you and those were one of the best pairs in the league, obviously Mar and Taz and you and Aronic are like some of the pairs that are at the top and you you got to see Kell and and Devon TA uh you know in Colorado and and what they do every game and and how they handle themselves at the top pairs. Uh, what have you learned from that and what are you hoping to continue to build on from some of the the things that you saw those two do live game after game? For sure. Well, um, yeah, looking back now, I mean, um, I think I got to learn a lot from just watching those two. I mean, um, you know, you have a guy like Kale Mar, very similar to Rasmus, and, um, you know, I hope to try to be a player of Taser’s uh, caliber, whether it’s now or down the road. That’s what I look to continue to build towards. So, um I think the biggest thing I noticed was obviously Kale kind of drives the play, but Taser also is a very very competent, very very good player that um helps Kale’s Kale out in in different situations or whatever it might be. And um you know, that’s what I try to provide to Ras when I’m playing with him. I just try to be steady and, you know, move the puck, get him the puck as much as I can. But also something I learned watching Taser play with Kale is, you know, Tas is a really good player and he can still play. So, it’s not like he’s got to move it every time he gets it over to Kale, whatever it might be. You know, he’s a good player and um, you know, I think of myself as a good player. So, try to try to emulate that relationship a little bit because it is um, in my opinion, I think very similar. So, um I mean I try to I try to watch everyone and learn as much as I can. Um you know, whether it’s Ras or OP, whoever it is. Um we have a lot of good players. So, um I think our our decor is really starting to come together and uh I think it’s going to be a strength of our team moving forward here. Are you in the mountains for the summer and do you use that landscape for your training purposes? Yeah, I’m uh I’m at home here just outside of Gran Brook, BC in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada. So, um yeah, I usually get out once or so a week, once every couple weeks, do a good hike with my my parents and my family and do that. And then, um I live on a lake here, so I’m always on the lake uh whatever, swimming or whatever it might be. So, um yeah, I love I love being at home here. So, it’s it’s a lot of fun. Any fishing? Yeah. Yeah, I do uh I do a bit of fly fishing. Um there’s a couple rivers nearby that are pretty good for little trout and whatnot. So, that’s that’s fun to pass some time as well. So, my my dad my dad’s a big fisherman and he caught it two trophies this summer. A 19 12 inch rainbow trout. His his all time was 18. So he got and then he just caught a 25 in um uh northern pike, but he had to put it back because anything over 18 in you can’t keep. So he had to put it back. So uh any of those trophies for you this summer? Any big ones this summer? Uh nothing big. I wouldn’t say I’m the most skilled or experiment or experienced fisherman, but I’m trying to grow my capabilities. So I’ll keep at it and hopefully I can uh lock into something like that. Uh, anything else big on the calendar between now and arriving for camp? Um, nothing really. No, like I kind of said, I’m happy to, you know, get the the deal out of the way so I can stop thinking about it and just focus on, you know, preparing. I’ve been skating and working out a lot, trying to get in the best shape possible, trying to grow my game. So, um, no, not really. Couple couple weddings with some some close friends of ours. Um, so yeah, it’ll it’ll be fun. But I’m I’m also looking forward to getting back to Buffalo and getting everything going. It’s not like you went from like entry-level deal like 800,000 to 6 million. But it’s still a big jump. Um, when I had my first contract of that jump, I I wanted to buy myself something fun. So, I went and walked into the Porsche dealership and I bought a car sticker price. I didn’t even negotiate. Like, how how dumb am I? Like, I just bought the car. any purchase that you’re thinking like, okay, reward yourself with the with having this contract? Uh, no. I uh I bought a place, the place I’m in right now last year. Um, that was a big purchase. So, try to get that paid off before I get something else on the go. That’s smart. Very smart. I like it. Bo, thanks so much for the time. Enjoy the rest of summer. No, appreciate it, guys. Take care. I’ll see you in a few months here.

Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram joined Brian Duff and Martin Biron on Sabres Live. He discussed the process on getting his new deal, his time in Buffalo so far, his summer training regimen, as well as some fun plans coming up.

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