Sabres land No. 4 draft pick in
trading Byram to Blackhawks. Capitals acquire Kyrou from Blues
[June 24, 2026]
By STEPHEN WHYNO
The Buffalo Sabres dealt defenseman Bowen Byram to Chicago, and the
Washington Capitals acquired right winger Jordan Kyrou in a trade
with St. Louis on Thursday, keeping the player movement around the
NHL spinning ahead of the draft later this week and with free agency
on the horizon.
The Sabres' trade was the most notable as Buffalo also acquired the
No. 4 pick in the draft that the team is hosting this weekend.
Buffalo also acquired third-year defenseman Louis Crevier, who had a
career-best 25 points in his first full NHL season, and a
second-round draft pick, 46th overall. Chicago also acquired
hard-hitting forward Jordan Greenway.
Byram is the key player in a trade made after Buffalo sought to sign
the player to long-term contract. Byram had completed the first
season of a two-year $12.5 million deal.
The 25-year-old had a career-high 42 points and matched a
career-high with 11 goals in 82 games in spending much of the season
playing alongside captain Rasmus Dahlin as Buffalo’s top defensive
pairing. He was part of a deep and talented blue line that
contributed to the Sabres winning their first Atlantic Division
title and snapping an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.
With the fourth pick, the Sabres are positioned to land a top
prospect in a draft class that’s loaded with highly regarded
defenseman. Among the defensive candidates expected to be available
at No. 4 are Carson Carels (WHL Prince George), North Dakota’s
Keaton Verhoeff and Latvia’s Alberts Smits.
Capitals-Blues trade
Washington sent veteran forward Connor McMichael, prospect Milton
Gastrin and the 16th pick to St. Louis for the 28-year-old Kyrou,
who is under contract for the next five seasons at a salary cap hit
of $8.125 million.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick foreshadowed making a move
like this after doing more selling than buying at the deadline in
March. Kyrou gives the team another player in his prime to join a
core around Tom Wilson, Jakob Chychrun, Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc
Dubois, Aliaksei and Ilya Protas, Ryan Leonard and Logan Thompson —
whether or not Alex Ovechkin returns.
"We believe he is an ideal fit for our team both now and for the
long term," Patrick said. “Jordan is an exceptionally talented and
dynamic offensive player who will make an immediate impact on our
club. His skill, creativity and ability to generate offense at an
elite level will be a tremendous addition to our group.”
[to top of second column] |
Chicago Blackhawks' Louis Crevier plays during an NHL hockey game
Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt
Slocum,File)
Kyrou had 18 goals and 28 assists in 72 games with
St. Louis last season, producing below expectations for someone
signed to be a key contributor. He is a three-time 30-goal scorer,
reaching that mark consecutively from 2022-23 through 2024-25.
McMichael, 25, had 46 points in 78 games with the Capitals last
season.
Gastrin, 19, was the 37th pick in the draft last year. Washington
still has the 18th pick Friday night as part of the deal that sent
longtime defenseman John Carlson to Anaheim in March.
In other trades Tuesday:
— The San Jose Sharks dealt William Eklund and forward prospects
Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators for the
ninth pick. The Sharks now have the Nos. 2, 9 and 27 picks in the
first round of the draft Friday night. Ottawa got the No. 9 pick
over the weekend as part of the return for sending Brady Tkachuk to
Florida in the offseason's biggest blockbuster so far. The Senators
also received a pair of picks the Panthers got from Seattle for
Mackie Samoskevich, along with a 2029 first-rounder.
— The New Jersey Devils sent Simon Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov to the
Calgary Flames for two future conditional first-round picks, as well
as No. 35 overall this year and prospect Etienne Morin.
___
AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow in Buffalo contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
