Rangers Can't Stop With JT Miller. It's Time To Hunt Buffalo.

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The Rangers acquisition of JT Miller proved one thing. Despite their immense struggles this season, the organization is staying the course in their pursuit of a Cup sooner than later. Rebuilding is not in the cards any time soon & they addressed a major hole atop their forward group with a big, mean son of a bitch boasting elite offensive talent. A great move especially considering the light cost. But the Blueshirts weren't a one-hole team. With a huge one plugged Drury needs to keep plugging like he's starring in a Flex Tape infomercial - and that next gaping hole currently rocks #55 on his sweater. I don't mean that as a direct shot at Ryan Lindgren though. I simply mean it's long overdue the Rangers went after a true top-pair talent to ride alongside Adam Fox for the rest of his prime.

Enter Bowen Byram.

Here's the situation in Buffalo. For starters, the team still stinks. They haven't made the playoffs since 2011 and almost certainly won't for the 14th consecutive season as they currently sit 4th in the Tankathon race for best lottery odds - and that's despite winning their last three tilts. There's little doubt they need to shift from how they're currently constructed. Names like Dylan Cozens have been kicked around as trade bait, but are the Sabres better served selling low on their 23 year-old pivot who's locked up for 5 more seasons at $7.1M as opposed to sticking it out a little longer? Who knows. But moving Bowen Byram certainly makes some sense. This wouldn't be a "selling low" situation though. The former 4th-overall pick in a stacked 2019 class is a great skater, puck carrier & playmaker who's got room to improve defensively but is far from a liability. Physicality isn't his forte but he doesn't shy away from a hit or a shot block. He's currently grinding out 23+ minutes a night alongside Rasmus Dahlin in his first full season in Buffalo, posting 25 points (23 at ES which is top-15 among blueliners) as part of a top-10 paring across the league in terms of goals-for percentage. He's been excellent.

Sooooo…when is dealing him gonna make some sense for Buffalo? Well, Byram's got 2 RFA years left & his current contract is set to expire. His qualifying offer sits at $4.6M which the Sabres can easily afford - but whether it's this summer or shortly after, he's gonna be due a long-term contract. With the cap reportedly set to rise over $25M over the next three years now is the time to lock up long-term deals. That AAV would start with a 7 for Byram. Thing is, Buffalo already has over $23.5M committed to three defenders for at least 5 more seasons - Dahlin, Power & Samuelsson. Regardless of the impending cap increase it's hard to imagine an organization committing over $30M annually on four left-shot defenders, three who are all kinda the same player. Mattias Samuelsson is the lone stay-at-home type of the four, but he's constantly hurt. Dahlin & Power are bigger bodies but overall their calling cards are their offensive skillsets just like Byram. In a perfect world, they'd love to mix a right-shot banger into their top-four while freeing up more money to revamp the forward group AND not getting any older or slower.

Enter Braden Schneider.

Listen, I'm not saying Schneider & Byram are equals. They're not and that's obvious. But Braden Schneider is a perfect fit for what the Sabres should be looking for. The Rangers traded up for the 6'4 Schneider at #19 in 2020 & he jumped into the lineup less than a year later. He's been a regular ever since. Schneider is the prototypical stay-at-home hammer in terms of playing style, but he's also a good skater who doesn't hesitate jumping into the offensive mix every now and then. "Baby Trouba" isn't the highlight-reel type of physical presence but despite less than 16 minutes/night he finished last season top-30 in hits among blueliners. He's also a puck magnet - a rare breed of player who racks up 300+ hits/blocks while not lacking in true hockey ability & never getting hurt. Schneider is inked for next season at a nice $2.2M price tag before entering his first of two remaining RFA years. His eventual long-term ticket will end up significantly less than a player like Byram - but a player like Schneider's importance to his team is a lot closer than their inevitable deals will suggest.

Why would the Rangers want to part with Schneider? Well - they wouldn't WANT to. However, look at their situation. They desperately need a left shot they can deploy opposite Adam Fox. Lindgren has fallen off a cliff and while K'Andre Miller has had some success in limited minutes opposite the former Norris winner, there's big enough consistency issues in his game to be hesitant on that promotion full time. Plus, he's seemingly stabilized himself with newcomer Will Borgen…who's perhaps the biggest reason Schneider becomes expendable. They're essentially the same player & Drury just committed to Borgen for 5 more years at a healthy $4.1M per with trade protection. It's safe to say that Fox/Borgen will occupy the top two right-side slots for the foreseeable future. Schneider is capable of flipping over to the left but, unless Key gets promoted, the ceiling for Schneider on this roster is a 5/6 role. I'm trading a 5/6 for a 2/3 ten out of ten times, and that's what a swap of Schneider & Byram (as the primary pieces) ends up being for NY. 

Best part for the Blueshirts is that they can afford to go long-term with Byram immediately. Fork over $7M per for as long as he wants and it turns into a bargain real quick. Ink Key for 5x$5.5M. Assume a rookie winger or two in the lineup, qualify the rest of their RFAs, fill the backup goalie & third-pair right-side D vacancies for a mil each and presto - a tick below that 2025-26 $95.5M ceiling just announced last week with Chris Kreider's $6.5M first up on the chopping block to go 3C shopping.

If the Rangers wanna take another bold step it'd be to send whatever it takes (within reality) with Schneider to bring Byram to the Big Apple ASAP. Byram makes them better immediately AND for the future. EJ Emery & Drew Fortescue are their current top D prospects but are still both teenagers who are years away & don't project as top-pair talents anyway. Going the free-agent route is almost always an overpay ('sup Jacob Trouba) because elite defenders are hard to come by. So if the opportunity exists to grab one who's still only 23 with his name already on the Cup, you gotta do anything you can to get him. I'm sure Buffalo isn't all too interested in futures, which is good because Drury doesn't have a lot left in his drawer in terms of picks. So would it take Schneider/Berard? Schneider/Othmann? Both young forwards are borderline NHL-ready & bring some grit alongside their talent, but at least in the short term don't have a clear path into the Rangers regular lineup. That opportunity gets even more limited once Gabe Perrault inks his pro contract.

This isn't a deal the Sabres are in a rush to make. They have plenty of time to decide what to do with Byram & if they wanna move him they can wait until this summer or even next. But there's no doubt he's expendable and the longer they wait the more value they lose in their return. That's why Drury needs to bring everything he's got to the table right now. I'm not sure how they could pass on acquiring two younger pieces - one proven NHLer & another that's absolutely NHL-ready - who check a ton of boxes they desperately need to start sniffing playoffs in Buffalo. Schneider and Berard/Othmann help change their identity. Give them some attitude. Make them a little tougher to play against. They're all players I'd love to keep in New York except when it comes to putting our best blueliner in the best position to play at his absolute best. Just like Drury did for the Rangers top guns up front when he brought JT Miller back to Broadway.

Buffalo adds right-shot stay-at-home sandpaper to their top-four along with bona fide, agitating middle-six wing talent while the Rangers finally fetch Fox a legitimate, capable top-pair sidekick.

Everybody wins.

Get it done Chris.

VIVA LA BLUESHIRTS!!!!