The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of staff writers and over 200 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2024. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Drafted: 2019- 1st Round (4th Overall)
Position: Defenseman (shoots L)
Born: June 13, 2001 (23 years old)
2023-24 Stats: NHL (COL): 8-12-20 in 55 GP, NHL (BUF): 3-6-9 in 18 GP
2023 T25U25 Ranking: N/A
Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bo Byram came to Buffalo as part of a trade for forward Casey Mittelstadt on Mar. 6, 2024. Byram played 18 games for the Buffalo Sabres this past season and his stats included 29 blocks, 34 hits, 7 takeaways and just 6 giveaways. He also had 3 goals, 6 assists and 9 total points.
Fan reaction to the Byram-Mittelstadt trade was mixed, with some Sabres’ supporters happy with the deal and others not so pleased. The day it happened, Auston Nivison of CBS Sports gave the Avs a B+ and the Sabres a B, stating the Avalanche might have solved their second line center problem but at the same time gave up a good D-man in return. He also added that switching Mitts for Byram was probably the right move for the Blue and Gold and that if Byram found his groove in Buffalo, he’d patrol the blue line with Ramus Dahlin and Owen Power.
Fast forward almost six months and hope in Sabreland springs eternal, even though Byram has yet to prove himself with a full season. DBTB readers certainly gave him high marks, helping vote No. 4 into 7th place out of 25 under the age of 25. He’s shown signs of being an offensive-minded defenseman like Dahlin and Power, scoring a goal in the first matchup he wore a Sabres’ jersey.
Byram wasn’t finished scoring for Buffalo, netting two more goals in the Sabres’ 7-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Mar. 12. He set a new record as the first Sabres’ D-man to score three or more goals in their first three contests with Buffalo.
Byram didn’t find his place with the Avs but made a solid showing during the end of 2023-24 with the Blue and Gold. It’ll be interesting to see how the 6-foot-1-inch forward does this year with old school hockey tough guy head coach Lindy Ruff. Byram does possess the physicality some of the team’s D often lacked under former HC Don Granato. If Byram can thrive playing for Ruff, he could enjoy a strong season.
2024 Buffalo Sabres Top 25 Under 25
#25: Adam Kleber
#24: Tyson Kozak
#23: Maxim Štrbák
#22: Prokhor Poltapov
#21: Aleksandr Kisakov
#20: Viktor Neuchev
#19: Vsevolod Komarov
#18: Nikita Novikov
#17: Anton Wahlberg
#16 Isak Rosén
#15 Peyton Krebs
#14: Noah Östlund
#13: Konsta Helenius
#12: Ryan Johnson
#11: Ryan McLeod
#10: Mattias Samuelsson
#9: Jiri Kulich
#8: Devon Levi