Report: Briere Wanted Avalanche’s Bowen Byram in Flyers Trade

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman dropped another bomb regarding the Philadelphia Flyers in his latest “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” episode.

Friedman believes that Flyers GM Danny Briere asked the Colorado Avalanche about defenseman Bowen Byram in a potential Cutter Gauthier trade, but that the Avs weren’t buying what the Flyers were selling. “I think Philly did ask about Bowen Byram and I just think Colorado wasn’t going there,” Friedman said. “I suspect Colorado’s answer was ‘We are not doing this 1-for-1, it’s got to be more than Gauthier for Byram.’”

For those unfamiliar with Byram, the Avalanche defenseman was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2022. He, like Jamie Drysdale, has a lengthy injury history, including concussions. As a result, Byram has not played more than 42 games in a single season thus far, though he has played 39 this season and is well on track to surpass his previous career-high of 42.

Given these circumstances, I can comfortably say that the Flyers got the better deal in the Drysdale trade. Drysdale is a right-shot defender, which is a far more coveted asset, and Briere and the Flyers will say so themselves. Adding to that is the 2025 second-round pick they received from the Anaheim Ducks. Sure, picks in future drafts are less valuable than picks in the upcoming draft, but it’s still likely to be a top-60 draft choice all the same.

And, do the Flyers really need more left-shot defensemen? They have Travis Sanheim signed long-term in addition to youngsters like Cam York and Egor Zamula. Nick Seeler and Marc Staal are still going to get their fair share of playing time as well. The Flyers absolutely made the right move by getting Drysdale from Anaheim.

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