The Buffalo Sabres have acquired two 2026 draft picks (4th and 45th overall) and defenseman Louis Crevier from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway, the team announced Tuesday.
The Sabres now hold two first-round picks in this weekend’s NHL Draft at KeyBank Center and six selections overall. Their picks, as of Tuesday’s trade:
- 1st round, 4th overall
- 1st round, 20th overall
- 2nd round, 45th overall
- 4th round, 124th overall
- 5th round, 156th overall
- 6th round, 188th overall
Crevier, 25, had 25 points (7+18) in 78 games in 2025-26, his third NHL season, averaging 17:08 of ice time. The 6-foot-8, right-shot blueliner totaled 124 hits and 95 blocked shots, both second most on the Blackhawks.
Chicago drafted Crevier, a native of Quebec City, in the seventh round in 2020. He’s signed through the 2026-27 season with a cap hit of $900,000 and is set to become a restricted free agent next summer. Some more on what he’ll bring to the Sabres:
- He ranked in the NHL’s 99th percentile in hardest shot (102.83 mph) and 97th percentile in average shot speed (75.16 mph) last season, leading to his career-high seven goals (NHL Edge).
- He played 1:55 shorthanded per game, third most among Blackhawks defensemen.
- At 6-foot-8, he’s tied for the third-tallest player in the NHL.
Byram played 195 total games (incl. playoffs) for the Sabres across the last three seasons, Greenway 171 across the last four. Dealing them while adding Crevier frees another $9.35 million in cap space (approximately) for the Sabres entering the 2026-27 season, with more action to come as the offseason hits full swing.
General manager Jarmo Kekäläinen is expected to address the media Wednesday, so stay tuned to Sabres.com for reactions to this trade and all the latest Sabres offseason news.
