NY Rangers Reportedly Made Run at Bowen Byram Before Blackhawks Trade

The New York Rangers reportedly made a run at acquiring Bowen Byram.

Apr 15, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) clears the puck from the goal against the Dallas Stars in the third period at KeyBank Center. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have been involved in plenty of trade rumors ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft as they look to reshape their roster after a disappointing season.

After finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference, team president and general manager Chris Drury has a lot of work to do. He is on the hunt for help up and down the depth chart, both for the NHL and AHL teams.

The Rangers have made one move thus far, trading Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for William Trudeua. However, according to Elliotte Friedman during an appearance on The Fan Hockey Show, New York was trying to make a much bigger swing.

The NHL reporter shared that the Rangers were aggressively pursuing Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram in a trade. Alas, they weren’t able to get a deal done, as he was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Rangers were in on Bowen Byram before Blackhawks landed him

Apr 19, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) looks to make a pass during the second period against the Boston Bruins in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center. / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The headlining piece of the trade package heading back to the Sabres is the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. They also received Louis Crevier and a second-round pick, No. 45 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Heading to the Blackhawks, along with Byram, is Jordan Greenway to complete the deal.

Along with Chicago and New York, Friedman believes that the San Jose Sharks were in on the Byram trade talks. What do all three of those teams have in common? A top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft that could be used as a bargaining chip.

For Rangers fans, this could be viewed as another missed opportunity for the front office. They have been mentioned as liking a lot of players who have been on the move already this offseason, such as William Eklund, Jordan Kyrou and Brady Tkachuk, but haven’t been able to land any of them.

Byram is a talented defenseman and would have addressed New York’s need for more left-handed options. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as Drury and the front office have to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to upgrade the talent on the roster.

Elliotte Friedman: I heard the Rangers were in big on Bowen Byram; I think Buffalo had the Rangers and I think the Sharks [interested] - FAN Hockey Show (6/24)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 24, 2026

It will certainly be interesting to see how things shake out with the No. 5 pick. Will the Rangers unload that selection for a proven, young NHL commodity as they were reportedly willing to do for Byram?

Or will they make the pick and add a high-upside youngster to their organizational pipeline, which is in desperate need of some help?

Whichever route is chosen, there will be plenty of scrutiny toward Drury, who desperately needs a strong offseason to take some of the heat off himself.