Prospect Info: Bowen Byram - Canada’s Savior - Thread 2.0

What do you expect from Byram?


  • Total voters
    254
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ararana

Registered User
Sep 22, 2013
17,611
27,457
Two Rivers
Pretty much around what I was expecting from him. Some really solid shifts and a few iffy moments. I thought his penalty at the beginning of the game was pretty soft. But I liked how he was confident enough to hold onto the puck in both zones, joining the rush and even calling for a drop pass. I really don't think it's going to take him long to pass Timmins and Graves on the depth chart.

I was a little surprised Bednar played him so much with Makar and the top line. I guess Makar was the only righty Bendar trusted to babysit him through his first game but Byram had a few shifts Girard and Pateryn. Kudos to Bednar for not holding back, opening face off for period 1 Byram-Makar, opening face off for period 2 Byram - Makar. Byram got his share of defensive draws as well, even bailed out Makar on a brain dead play.

That 40ish seconds of offensive possession with Mack-Rants-Landy-Makar-Byram was a fun glimpse into the future. Love that it was Girard that Byram changed with and who had an immediate scoring chance.

They made the right decision sending him back to juniors last year, he's probably a better player now because of it. Now you just have to hope the only reason Byram sits going forward is because he needs a mental break to watch the game, as rookies do. Sitting your 4th OA high ceiling talent to get Ryan f***ing Graves ice time is going to drive me crazy if it happens when EJ comes back.
 

Richard88

John 3:16
Jun 29, 2019
19,163
20,768
Pretty much around what I was expecting from him. Some really solid shifts and a few iffy moments. I thought his penalty at the beginning of the game was pretty soft. But I liked how he was confident enough to hold onto the puck in both zones, joining the rush and even calling for a drop pass. I really don't think it's going to take him long to pass Timmins and Graves on the depth chart.

I was a little surprised Bednar played him so much with Makar and the top line. I guess Makar was the only righty Bendar trusted to babysit him through his first game but Byram had a few shifts Girard and Pateryn. Kudos to Bednar for not holding back, opening face off for period 1 Byram-Makar, opening face off for period 2 Byram - Makar. Byram got his share of defensive draws as well, even bailed out Makar on a brain dead play.

That 40ish seconds of offensive possession with Mack-Rants-Landy-Makar-Byram was a fun glimpse into the future. Love that it was Girard that Byram changed with and who had an immediate scoring chance.

They made the right decision sending him back to juniors last year, he's probably a better player now because of it. Now you just have to hope the only reason Byram sits going forward is because he needs a mental break to watch the game, as rookies do. Sitting your 4th OA high ceiling talent to get Ryan f***ing Graves ice time is going to drive me crazy if it happens when EJ comes back.

I liked what I saw from Byram as well. Promising start.

I doubt it'll be Graves getting dropped to make room for him. More than likely it'll be Timmins rotating with Johnson or whoever is injured, or simply playing in the AHL.

Toews --- Makar
Graves --- Girard
Byram --- Johnson

You obviously want your talent on the ice as much as possible and don't want to actively hold prospects back, but in the long-run there could be a silver lining in slow-cooking Timmins a bit. He's up for a contract renewal in a 6 months time and ideally we'll be able to get him signed to a reasonably cheap contract between 2021 and 2023 at least.
 

Matt Roberts

Registered User
May 26, 2019
164
142
I liked what I saw from Byram as well. Promising start.

I doubt it'll be Graves getting dropped to make room for him. More than likely it'll be Timmins rotating with Johnson or whoever is injured, or simply playing in the AHL.

Toews --- Makar
Graves --- Girard
Byram --- Johnson

You obviously want your talent on the ice as much as possible and don't want to actively hold prospects back, but in the long-run there could be a silver lining in slow-cooking Timmins a bit. He's up for a contract renewal in a 6 months time and ideally we'll be able to get him signed to a reasonably cheap contract between 2021 and 2023 at least.
Timmins will be an interesting negotiation. It's hard to commit big money given the injury history, and I'm sure he'll be looking for some security. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him sign a team friendly, longer term deal if it's offered. The question is how big the discount would need to be for the Avs to agree.
 

Richard88

John 3:16
Jun 29, 2019
19,163
20,768
Timmins will be an interesting negotiation. It's hard to commit big money given the injury history, and I'm sure he'll be looking for some security. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him sign a team friendly, longer term deal if it's offered. The question is how big the discount would need to be for the Avs to agree.
Timmins will be in an interesting position with that one.

On the one hand he might settle for less dollars on a 1 year deal (eg. $1.5m x 1 year) to bet that he'll have a strong and healthy season once he's fully established in the top 6.

But on the other hand by doing that he would be running the risk of missing out on a big pay day entirely should he suffer another concussion.

I guess that if security is his priority he might settle for something around $2m x 3 years ($6m), instead of betting on himself in year 1 to get a better payday after 1 more year. Question is only how much Sakic is willing to bet on his health.
 

Northern Avs Fan

Registered User
May 27, 2019
21,970
29,648
Night and day difference from Byrams pre season games last year to last nights game. Byram is NHL ready. He doesn't need to go anywhere from here on out. Let him play and learn. The shift with him paired with Makar and the top unit was a preview of things to come.

I like that he’s willing to seek out contact defensively. That’s a big bonus moving forward long term.

Grundstrom took his lunch money on that one play, but I thought he held up pretty well physically. His poise with the puck was good too.

Once they get down to 6D hopefully they can get him 15 minutes a night.
 

Matt Roberts

Registered User
May 26, 2019
164
142
Timmins will be in an interesting position with that one.

On the one hand he might settle for less dollars on a 1 year deal (eg. $1.5m x 1 year) to bet that he'll have a strong and healthy season once he's fully established in the top 6.

But on the other hand by doing that he would be running the risk of missing out on a big pay day entirely should he suffer another concussion.

I guess that if security is his priority he might settle for something around $2m x 3 years ($6m), instead of betting on himself in year 1 to get a better payday after 1 more year. Question is only how much Sakic is willing to bet on his health.
That's the ballpark I was thinking as well. It's a relatively low risk, high reward deal for the Avs in general, as that 2m is hardly going to break the cap, and would delay a big cap hit for a couple of years. From Timmins' standpoint, that may well provide enough long term security to justify waiting on a big payday.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard88

Avs71

Registered User
Aug 12, 2008
8,958
4,415
I like him paired with Makar. He obviously won’t be ready to carry a pairing yet, but he looked more comfortable when he could rely on his partner to move the puck. Girard and Toews also could be a great shut down pairing.

Watching Byram, Makar, Girard, and Toews in the lineup together, all the other defencemen’s skating ability looks painful. Graves looks like he is wearing ski boots by comparison.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard88

Foppa2118

Registered User
Oct 3, 2003
52,145
31,152
Pretty solid first game.

Had a few small mistakes, mostly due to not being used to the speed of the game. But was one of the better puck distributors in transition, and showed how good his instincts are for pinching to hold pucks in. It's one of his better attributes.

Got a taste of what it's like having Tim Peel as your ref with that chincy holding call on his second shift in the NHL. Kopitar was holding his arm more than Bo was holding him.

One of my biggest pet peeves in hockey is how the refs treat rookies. There's an entirely different standard, and it often just feels like they're falling in love with their power a little too much, to pick on the young guy who they know won't bark back at them.

Thought Bo and Cale showed pretty good chemistry right off the bat. Better than Toews and Makar so far. They were often putting the puck on each others tape perfectly and in stride so they could use their speed to push the opposition back. Very aware of when to hold back when the other was jumping into the play. Had that one shift where they were on the verge of dominating. If that's how they look together in game 1, I can't wait until they get more comfortable.

I know he was just trying to keep things simple for the most part, but I'd like to see him more active in the O zone. He started doing it more as the game went on, but he's got such good instincts for it. Whenever the puck is down low with possession, just look for #4 to swoop into the screen because he'll be there.
 

tigervixxxen

Optimism=Delusional
Jul 7, 2013
53,056
6,154
Denver
burgundy-review.com
I wrote this in my recap

He finished with 11:19 time on ice and one shot on goal but the deeper analytics reflect the impact he is already able to exert on the game. Byram was third on the team with a +12/-7 Corsi For at 63.17% and second to only Cale Makar with a 69.75% share of expected goals. His minutes were all at even strength which was actually tied for fourth with Ryan Graves among the seven defensemen who played.

Good starting point, I hope they’ve decided to commit and just roll with him. I think on a few shifts Byram could easily have been confused for a Toews next to Makar, he was executing some simple but perfect breakout passes and through the NZ. His pass to Compher drew that penalty, so little thing like that and that he held his own analytically should buy him another game tonight.
 

Northern Avs Fan

Registered User
May 27, 2019
21,970
29,648
Pretty solid first game.

Had a few small mistakes, mostly due to not being used to the speed of the game. But was one of the better puck distributors in transition, and showed how good his instincts are for pinching to hold pucks in. It's one of his better attributes.

Got a taste of what it's like having Tim Peel as your ref with that chincy holding call on his second shift in the NHL. Kopitar was holding his arm more than Bo was holding him.

One of my biggest pet peeves in hockey is how the refs treat rookies. There's an entirely different standard, and it often just feels like they're falling in love with their power a little too much, to pick on the young guy who they know won't bark back at them.

Thought Bo and Cale showed pretty good chemistry right off the bat. Better than Toews and Makar so far. They were often putting the puck on each others tape perfectly and in stride so they could use their speed to push the opposition back. Very aware of when to hold back when the other was jumping into the play. Had that one shift where they were on the verge of dominating. If that's how they look together in game 1, I can't wait until they get more comfortable.

I know he was just trying to keep things simple for the most part, but I'd like to see him more active in the O zone. He started doing it more as the game went on, but he's got such good instincts for it. Whenever the puck is down low with possession, just look for #4 to swoop into the screen because he'll be there.

It’s funny you say that because I was thinking the same thing.

Byram/Makar seemed a little more natural than Toews/Makar. Though Toews and Makar had one super dominant shift at one point in the game.

I don’t think we’ll see Byram/Makar right away, but I hope Bednar keeps throwing them out together from time-to-time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Foppa2118

Barklez

Bednar Fanboy
Mar 27, 2011
1,710
1,416
BC
I wrote this in my recap



Good starting point, I hope they’ve decided to commit and just roll with him. I think on a few shifts Byram could easily have been confused for a Toews next to Makar, he was executing some simple but perfect breakout passes and through the NZ. His pass to Compher drew that penalty, so little thing like that and that he held his own analytically should buy him another game tonight.

He made the team last night IMO, and it’s not even really close anymore. Unless you just mean until he gets a rest game or loses some games as the 7D.

But after last night he would need to take 2-3 steps back in the next 5 games to end up anywhere but with the Avs all year. He’s shown he’s got everything he needs, he just hasn’t fully adjusted to the speed yet.
 

avsfan9

Registered User
Jul 28, 2011
4,010
2,835
If we don’t score more than four goals in the first period we going to lose every game aren’t we
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->