NHL Rumors: Sabres' key D-man 'wants to be a Canuck' amid interest from multiple teams, per insider

Bowen Byram figures to have a lot of attention this offseason. His two-year, $7.70 million contract runs out at the end of the season, which officially happens in a little over two weeks.

So when he does hit the market, the Buffalo Sabres defenseman is expected to be in high demand with a lot of teams expressing early interest, especially among those in the Western Conference.

One of those teams is expected to be the Vancouver Canucks, a team looking to retool after just missing the playoffs last season. The report came attached to a comment from NHL insider Adrian Dater, who said:

Byram could pair with Quinn Hughes, the captain of the Canucks, to form one of the best defenses in the sport. That said, as the initial report suggested, a lot of teams are expected to be in play, so Vancouver might have to engage in a bidding war.

Additionally, Hughes faces a bit of an uncertain future with a franchise currently at a crossroads after losing coach Rick Tocchet. The coach turned down their offer and joined the Philadelphia Flyers, and Hughes' status on the team isn't certain now, either. Byram could end up being a replacement as well.

Bowen Byram interest by Canucks suggests bad news for Quinn Hughes

Quinn Hughes may not be long with the Vancouver Canucks, though he has praised new head coach Larry Foote in the past. With his status up in the air, the reported interest in Bowen Byram is not good news.

Quinn Hughes' future is up in the air (Imagn)

Byram would be a top-four defender, but that's an area that Vancouver can afford to skip. It has Hughes and Elias Pettersson, the faces of the franchise, on the left side, which is where Byram plays.

Adding Byram to that would spell doom for one of the two players since the left side of the ice is overloaded already. Since Vancouver chose to prioritize Pettersson over J.T. Miller last season, it suggests that the Canucks are not confident in the return or happiness of Hughes.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman