It’s not a hot take to say the Vancouver Canucks defence has struggled this season. After losing Nikita Zadorov and Ian Cole in free agency, GM Patrik Allvin signed Vincent Desharnais and Derek Forbort as their replacements. And, well, that hasn’t necessarily gone according to plan.

Forbort and Desharnais made up the bottom pair in the Canucks’ season debut, both finishing as the only players to be on two 5-on-5 goals against. The efforts from Desharnais earned him a seat up in the press box for the following two games and another two-game stint after yet another minus-two performance. Forbort’s play has been more robust, but finishing as a minus-rating in three of his four games in a bottom-pairing role isn’t ideal either.

While it’s still very early into the 2024-25 season, the rumours are already starting to swirl about this Canucks team interested in a puck-moving defenceman to play in their top four. We covered some options last week; however, there was an under-the-radar name mentioned earlier this week that the Canucks might show some interest in… again.

TSN’s Darren Dreger joined Sekeres & Price on Monday, sharing some news about the Canucks, both Vancouver and Abbotsford, as well as mentioning that an ex-Vancouver Giant might be available:

“Well, I wouldn’t say he’s available. You look contractually at where Bo Byram is this season, and then you look at where he stacks into that Buffalo Sabres lineup, and, if I’m Byram, I’m wondering about my long term fit with the Buffalo Sabres because of the likes of Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin. It’s a name that I’ve been told to keep circled. I don’t think that Kevyn Adams [Sabres GM] is shopping him. I know a team or two have called, doing their due diligence. I don’t know if Vancouver is one of the teams that has called, but there has been some interest expressed from the West.”

Byram, 23, hasn’t fully lived up to his fourth overall draft selection in 2019. Now, that can be mustered up to him having struggled through various concussion issues, but he’s always been able to produce offensively. Byram has 80 points in 177 NHL games for a career of 0.45 points per game, which is impressive for a defenceman.

His career is beginning to look upward as he’s coming off a career year last season where he posted an 11-goal, 29-point season in 73 games split between the Sabres and Colorado Avalanche. Byram is building on his strong 2023-24 season with eight points in 13 games so far this season, adding two goals in the Sabres’ 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Offensively, his game is clearly there. He’s a well-established puck-moving defenceman who also has proven he can be a playoff performer with nine assists in 20 playoff games, finishing with a plus-15 rating. So, he’s got the offensive side of his game and the experience as a Stanley Cup champion, but how is his defensive game?

Well, that is a tale of two stories. In Colorado, under a strong defence corps where he didn’t need to be the number one option, Byram had positive numbers in defensive analytics. However, in Buffalo, all those numbers take a hit. Now, is that more of a reflection on the poor Sabres team? Perhaps. But the Sabres are also trusting Byram in a higher role, meaning he’s facing more difficult matchups, which could lead to his poorer numbers.

We don’t want to bore you with analytics, but here are his defensive metrics throughout his five-year career.

So, if the Canucks were to trade for Byram, where would he fit in on a Canucks blue line? Well, Vancouver is looking for a puck-moving defenceman, preferably on the right side. While Byram is a left-shot defenceman, he has shown the ability to play on his off-side in Buffalo. He would be able to play a role in between what he’s played in Colorado and Buffalo, which could be perfect for him to reach his full potential.

Byram could play on the second pairing with Carson Soucy, allowing him to be the number one offensive option on his pairing – like he had in Colorado, but not in Buffalo. The only problem here is that Soucy’s pairing is usually the shutdown pair. Does this mean Byram is now against top competition? Probably. But you can always try it out, and if it doesn’t work, you can finally feel comfortable that you have a competent enough defenceman to pair with Quinn Hughes and move Filip Hronek to run his own pair, with Soucy in more of a defensive, shutdown role.

Here’s how Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects described Byram coming into his draft year in 2019:

“An exceptionally gifted defenceman who knows his strengths and plays by them. He possesses elite skating ability and is at his best when playing high-energy, up-tempo hockey. He handles the puck well and is able to keep control of it under pressure. He makes calculated decisions that consistently shift momentum in his team’s favour. His creativity in the offensive zone speaks to his confidence in his ability to be a game-changer.

“Defensively astute, he actively takes away lanes and limits options for the oncoming opposition. All-in-all, Bowen Byram is a workhorse who understands how to take advantage of turnovers and shift the pace of play in his favour in all three zones.”

Coming into the league, Byram was known for his offensive side, but the last paragraph shows that he had a defensively sound game. But can he find that again? With Hughes’ pairing not typically lining up against the opposing’s top line, this will allow Byram to unlock an offensive side of his game that is yet to be reached in his young career. It’s not like he hasn’t played top-line minutes, either; he’s been doing that during his time in Buffalo.

But now, what would a Byram trade look like? Well, we’ve already seen a defenceman traded this season when the Toronto Maple Leafs moved Timothy Liljegren to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Matt Benning, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Now, these trades project out very differently. The Leafs weren’t using Liljegren, having only suited up in one game in Toronto, playing 13:55 minutes in that game. Byram is trusted to play top-pairing minutes with Rasmus Dahlin, averaging 21:28 of ice time during his Sabres tenure.

On his hit with Sekeres & Price, Dreger mentioned that the price tag to acquire Byram would be “substantially different” than the return netted for Liljegren. Would that cost be closer to a package of a current depth forward and a pick or Tom Willander?

But it would make sense for both parties. It also wouldn’t be the first time this management group targeted Byram in a trade. Plus, he fits the mould of what the Canucks are looking for in a puck-moving defenceman who roughly fits the age range of this team’s core. But also, the 6’1″ blueliner has ties to Vancouver. Byram is a Cranbrook, B.C. native who spent his four-year junior career playing for the Vancouver Giants.

If traded for, Byram would require an extension at the end of the season with just one year remaining on his $3.85 million contract. He does have full arbitration rights for next season, but with this team’s current needs and Byram’s connection to the city, a long-term extension could be worked out and make sense for both sides.

What do you think, Canucks fans? Would you like to see this management team go after Byram if made available? If so, what would you trade for him? Let us know in the comments below!