Snapshots: Byron, Team Canada, Perbix
Paul Byron can’t catch a break. The veteran forward has been limited to just 26 games this season due to injury. While many of these absences came while Byron was recovering from hip surgery, he has continued to be in and out of the lineup ever since he returned. The Montreal Canadiens announced that he was returning to the lineup on Tuesday night – but the return was short-lived. Less than two periods into the game, the Habs revealed that Byron has left the game and would not return due to a lower-body injury. Its unclear if this is another new injury or a reoccurrence of his hip issue. Either way, with just five games remaining in a lost season, it might be time for Montreal to simply shut Byron down for the year. Byron has one year remaining on his contract and will be back with the Canadiens in 2022-23 if he isn’t traded or bought out.
- The Canadian entry into the upcoming IIHF World Championship may look very familiar to the fans of a Canadian NHL team. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that Senators head coach D.J. Smith, who will be an assistant for Team Canada, has recruited several of his star players to join the tournament. If healthy, Drake Batherson, Connor Brown, and Thomas Chabot will suit up for Canada. Health is a question though; Chabot is currently on the injured reserve with a fractured hand and Batherson and Brown have both missed time due to injury this season and may not rush to play extra games if those issues flare up.
- Another notable name has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Defenseman Jack Perbix, an Anaheim Ducks fourth-round pick in 2018, is leaving the University of Minnesota. Most would have expected that if Perbix was leaving the Gophers, it would be for the NHL. Older brother Nick Perbix, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, signed his entry level contract last month after four years at St. Cloud State University. Rather than follow suit, Jack will instead stay in college for his senior year but will don a different jersey and have a different name on his degree.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Nick Perbix
The Tampa Bay Lightning have added an Olympian to the mix, signing Nick Perbix to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal will start in 2022-23 and Perbix will play the rest of this season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL on an amateur tryout.
Perbix, 23, actually could have reached unrestricted free agency had he waited until the middle of August, but he’ll join the team that decided to spend a sixth-round pick on him five years ago.
Before he even played in the USHL, Tampa Bay grabbed the Elk River High captain 169th overall and have watched him turn into a star at St. Cloud State. This season, as a senior, he managed 31 points in 31 games and joined Team USA for the Olympics, suiting up four times.
Perbix’s brother, Jack Perbix, is also a prospect that may land an entry-level contract in the coming weeks. The younger of the two, Jack is a fourth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks who will be in the Frozen Four as a key member of the University of Minnesota squad.
Nick Perbix though is a nice signing for Tampa Bay, especially because of how close he was to the open market. With a long history of drafting and developing NHL talent in the middle and late rounds, the Lightning will hope that his game can translate to the next level quickly.