LD Bowen Byram - Vancouver Giants, WHL (2019, 4th, COL)

[Lemonlimey]

No one seems more skeptical of Avs dmen than Avs fans. You should see the regular negging on Barrie and Girard and Zadorov on HFAvs. it’s like after 15 years of defensive tragedy there is massive PTSD.

 

[avsfan09]

Will Byram step onto the roster immediately?

I think he does. It's probably a minority oppinion among Avs fans.

 

[landy92mack29]

If Barrie gets traded I think he will but if they keep Barrie I see him going back to Vancouver for 1 more year

 

[AvsCOL]

I think he does. It's probably a minority oppinion among Avs fans.

I agree. I think they definitely give him 9 games until Cole/EJ are back for sure. I'd rather him return to junior if they're only going to play him 8-10 mins a night though.

 

[avsfan9]

I agree. I think they definitely give him 9 games until Cole/EJ are back for sure. I'd rather him return to junior if they're only going to play him 8-10 mins a night though.

If he makes the team he’s playing at least 20 min a might

 

[AvsCOL]

If he makes the team he’s playing at least 20 min a might

You think he comes in and plays more than Makar did in the playoffs?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Too bad he played top pair all year then. It’s unreal how even Avs fans don’t understand Girard’s game and value.

Anyway, glad that sanity prevailed and all the rumors that the Avs were going to use 4th overall on a second line center were incorrect. I’ve been a fan of Byram for a long time and this was the best call at 4th. Byram is a great fit for the Avs and perfect partner for Makar. So excite.

Except... playing on the top pairing and being a top pairing Dman are most definitely not the same thing. It is funny how Avs fans dont understand Girards game. Like calling him a Top pairing Dman right now.



Anyway, back to the Byram conversation. It's really too bad the AHL isn't an option for him. I dont know if he's going to have a lot left to really learn and refine in the WHL, but I also dont really see much of a path to him in the NHL.

He's a LHD and right now the Avs have Girard, Zadorov, Cole, Connauton, Barberion, and Graves on the Left side. Girard/Zadorov/Cole especially would make it difficult but with the Connauton acquisition as well today it just becomes even more of a task to crack that Left Side.


He would have been perfectly setup to go down to the Eagles in the AHL and play on a pairing with Timmins all season long and perhaps get a couple injury callups. Really dont know what the Avs will do with him now.

 

[avsfan9]

You think he comes in and plays more than Makar did in the playoffs?

I think him and Makar are playing 20 per night( if he sticks with the team)

 

[Polar Bear]

Obviously you give him every chance to make the team, but the fact d-men take longer to develop typically and that he's a late birthday for his own class, I'd feel a lot better if he spent just one more year developing.

 

[golgoXIII]

If Barrie gets traded I think he will but if they keep Barrie I see him going back to Vancouver for 1 more year

I was watching The hockey news Colorado Depht chart and Byram is list def number 6. Do you think he will play all next season in the NHL ?

 

[Oleksiak]

I was watching The hockey news Colorado Depht chart and Byram is list def number 6. Do you think he will play all next season in the NHL ?

Think he gets the 9 games and gets sent down. Big loser in the Barrie deal is Canada if this means Byram sticks.

 

[Echo Roku]

I was watching The hockey news Colorado Depht chart and Byram is list def number 6. Do you think he will play all next season in the NHL ?

He'll be given every chance to prove he belongs

 

[Iracundia]

Obviously you give him every chance to make the team, but the fact d-men take longer to develop typically and that he's a late birthday for his own class, I'd feel a lot better if he spent just one more year developing.

I agree. He plays a physical game but he isn't fully developed yet and since he has no more school he can use that time to workout and build up his strength and conditioning. It was a blessing that Makar was able to build his body over 2 years. Byram probably needs only one to be ready for the NHL. I also want to see him play for Canada in U20.

 

[landy92mack29]

I was watching The hockey news Colorado Depht chart and Byram is list def number 6. Do you think he will play all next season in the NHL ?

With the Barrie trade and EJ+Cole injuries think he'll get 9 games now and depends how he looks

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

With the Barrie trade I think the Avs are going to try very hard to get Byram into the lineup this year...

It's still difficult to do because we have a lot of depth at the NHL level, but I think they try and get him in as the #2 or #3 LD. Something along the lines of:



Girard - EJ
Zadorov - Makar
Byram - Connauton/Rosen


As the starting group but when Cole gets healthy I'm not sure what they do then. Would not surprise me to see Zadorov traded yet either.

 

[avsfan9]

Can’t trade Z. Big physical presence in the playoffs

 

[nhlfan9191]

We made our big oversheet. It’s over.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

I think Byram can play next season, but you'll probably need to ease him in. It'll be a learning curve for him but in the playoffs he looked like he was almost beyond junior.

Put him on a 3rd pair to start, with powerplay time, & see how he grows from there.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Can’t trade Z. Big physical presence in the playoffs

Yeah I'd be replacing Rosen/Connaution with Byram, definitely not Zads.

 

[missionAvs]

Can’t trade Z. Big physical presence in the playoffs

Agreed. For all his faults, the Avs are a much better team with Z in the lineup than without.

 

[avsfan9]

Agreed. For all his faults, the Avs are a much better team with Z in the lineup than without.

He seemed to throw Kane and tkachuk off in the playoffs. It seemed they were scared to cross the blue line with the puck when Z was on the ice

 

[Ararana]

With the Barrie trade I think the Avs are going to try very hard to get Byram into the lineup this year...

It's still difficult to do because we have a lot of depth at the NHL level, but I think they try and get him in as the #2 or #3 LD. Something along the lines of:



Girard - EJ
Zadorov - Makar
Byram - Connauton/Rosen


As the starting group but when Cole gets healthy I'm not sure what they do then. Would not surprise me to see Zadorov traded yet either.

Agreed. I'd start the year with

Girard - EJ
Zadorov - Makar
Byram - XXX

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if after a month or two they switched to

Girard - Makar
Byram - EJ
Zadorov - XXX

EJ seems to get babysitting duty when it comes to the new kids playing in the NHL.

 

[ADD-devil950003]

Kid is going to be an absolute beast. All year long I figured NJ would pick 3-8 and he was the only guy I wanted out of that whole group. Great regular season for Van and an incredibly impressive playoff run. Byram imo should have no issue with playing 2nd pairing minutes for the Avs this coming season.

 

[avsfan9]

Kid is going to be an absolute beast. All year long I figured NJ would pick 3-8 and he was the only guy I wanted out of that whole group. Great regular season for Van and an incredibly impressive playoff run. Byram imo should have no issue with playing 2nd pairing minutes for the Avs this coming season.

It’s been kind of a blessing losing the draft lottery twice to you guys. Byram and Makar going to be two high end d men for years to come. Although I wouldn t mind Hughes or Kakko either.

 

[tucker3434]

I think they’ll need a good reason to send him down rather than vice versa. He has absolutely nothing left to prove in juniors. The AHL is where he’d be ideally, but since that isn’t an option, I think he’ll get a sheltered 3rd pairing role with some pp2 time.