Bowen Byram is coming to Chicago with some BIG expectations. After being acquired by the Blackhawks and signing a six-year, $75 million extension, what should Chicago realistically expect from its new No. 1 defenseman in 2026-27? In this CHGO Blackhawks Mini Pod, we break down the expectations for Byram heading into his first season in Chicago and what he needs to do to live up to the massive investment the Blackhawks have made in him.
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Seth Jones had 50 points? You would think that the Blackhawks would have been a much better team because they had such a high scoring defenseman.
I'm way more interested in whether or not Byram can defend to the level of the Hawks most minute eating defenseman. Whether he as 43 points or 55 points is kind of irrelevant.
He doesn't need to be Makar, or even Dahlin. He does need to be the best defensemen on the Hawks by a solid margin. I see him with 16 goals and 41 assists. He has a ver any good shot. The bigger benefit than points is he takes pressure off of Lev and Rinzell. That should make Lev and Rinzell better. There is a big part of the benefit, he will make the other D better by taking the top PP spot and taking the spotlight.
Just curious if any commentators on your site have ever played organized hockey?
With quite a bit of firepower and speed from the forward group, I expect Byram to rack up a LOT of assists on the PP. That speed from the forward group is going to cause a LOT of penalties.
I still think Artie is the number 1 defenseman of the future for the Hawks.
50+ points, but just as important, a +10 for the season. Next year as the rest of the defense and young forwards grow, 70+ points and +20 for the duration of the contract.