Paul Byron

Injuries Mounting Up Front For Montreal Canadiens

November 8, 2018 at 7:44 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Montreal Canadiens are off to an impressive start this season, with Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin leading an improved forward group that have contributed to the team’s 46 goals in 15 games (not counting tonight). Even as the team deals with the long-term recovery of captain Shea Weber, they’ve kept their heads above water with a 8-5-2 record. With Carey Price still not playing at the level he’s capable of, there is plenty of enthusiasm in Montreal.

Unfortunately, that enthusiasm took a hit today when the team released updates on a pair of forwards. Paul Byron, who is dealing with a lower-body injury, will now be evaluated on a week-to-week basis and is out for the foreseeable future. The 29-year old forward, who was signed to a four-year extension at the end of training camp, hasn’t played yet in November and now seems in danger of missing the rest of the month. A key player given his speed and penalty killing ability, Byron has also been one of the team’s best goal scorers at even strength the last two seasons.

Perhaps even worse than the news on Byron is that of Joel Armia, who suffered a knee injury against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Armia will be out for six to eight weeks, meaning he very well could be out until after Christmas. Armia had seven points in his first 15 games and had logged time on both the powerplay and penalty kill this season. That versatility will be sorely missed over the next couple of months, especially if Byron can’t come back soon.

Tomas Plekanec, who has played only three games this season, is getting closer to a return but isn’t the type of player who can make a huge impact anymore. What these injuries might mean is another chance for Nikita Scherbak, who has been playing on a conditioning stint in the minor leagues. As CapFriendly noted yesterday, the Canadiens can keep him in the minor leagues for another few days but will have to make a decision on what to do with him at some point. The team already lost Jacob de La Rose when they tried to sneak him through waivers, and wouldn’t want to risk Scherbak to the same fate.

Montreal hasn’t been able to deal with injuries very well over the last few years, but with some added depth thanks to the emergence of Jesperi Kotkaniemi and acquisition of Domi perhaps this season will be a different story.

Injury Updates: Red Wings, Hendricks, Byron, Radulov

November 3, 2018 at 1:41 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Red Wings’ battered back end is set to get a boost tonight as Danny DeKeyser is set to return after missing the last eight games due to a hand injury, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. He gives Detroit another top-four defender that should be capable of logging more than 20 minutes a night to help take some pressure off of their young defensemen. However, it’s not all good news for the Wings as DeKeyser will be taking the place of veteran rearguard Jonathan Ericsson who is dealing with an undisclosed injury of his own. Tonight marks the 14th game of the season for Detroit and they have yet to have their entire defense corps healthy at the same time for any of them.

Other injury notes from around the league:

Wild forward Matt Hendricks has resumed practicing and has been cleared to play following a leg injury sustained back in mid-October, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. However, he won’t suit up tonight in St. Louis. The veteran has played in five games this season, logging just shy of ten minutes a night while winning just shy of 46% of his faceoffs.
The Canadiens will be without winger Paul Byron for at least the next three games, the team announced (Twitter link). He missed Montreal’s last game due to a lower-body injury and if the team wants to free up a roster spot to bring up a replacement, he can be played on IR retroactive to October 30th.
The Stars have sent winger Alexander Radulov home for treatment and he is expected to miss the remainder of their current road trip which has three games remaining, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The veteran missed four games before returning earlier this week against Montreal but was shut down again following that contest. Radulov ranks sixth in the league in points per game (1.57) so far this season.

Atlantic Notes: Vanek, Luongo, Byron

October 31, 2018 at 5:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Red Wings will be without winger Thomas Vanek for two-to-three weeks due to a lower-body injury which is believed to be a knee issue, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The injury occurred early in the first period on Tuesday night against Columbus. Detroit has filled his spot with Wade Megan but another recall may be needed depending on the availability of center Andreas Athanasiou for Thursday’s game versus New Jersey. Vanek is off to somewhat of a quiet start this season with five points in a dozen games, well off the pace of his output from last season when he collected 56 points between Vancouver and Columbus.

Shea Weber Named Captain Of Montreal Canadiens

October 1, 2018 at 9:33 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Though he isn’t expected back on the ice for several months, Shea Weber has been named the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens. The team had a vacancy in the role since trading Max Pacioretty earlier this offseason, and Weber seemed the easy choice. The team has also named Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher as alternates for the upcoming season. Interestingly, the accompanying press release notes that the decision was made by team management.

Weber, 33, came to the Canadiens by way of trade in 2016, leaving the Nashville Predators behind in a swap for P.K. Subban. Weber had been serving as the Predators captain, and quickly took on a leadership role with his new club in Montreal. Unfortunately, after playing in 78 games during his first season with the Canadiens Weber was limited to just 26 contests in 2017-18 and is expected to be out until December this time around. Those injury woes are concerning for Montreal, as their new captain heads into the latter stage of his career with some chronic issues and uncertainty surrounding his level of play upon returning.

Still, there little doubt that Weber would be named the 30th captain in franchise history. Among the most well respected players in the NHL, the big defenseman has been known for his excellent two-way play for more than a decade and has been a Norris Trophy finalist several times. In fact, before his injury-shortened 2017-18 campaign Weber had finished in the top ten in Norris voting for nine consecutive seasons, though he has never actually won the award.

Other than the Norris and the still-elusive Stanley Cup though, Weber has had tremendous success throughout his hockey career. A two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada, Weber has also won a WHL Championship, Memorial Cup, World Cup, World Championship, and World Junior Championship. If he ever were to raise the Stanley Cup, he’d enter a very exclusive club with titles at nearly every level of play both domestic and internationally.

Still, that’s a tough ask for Weber and the Canadiens given the current state of the organization. After Pacioretty’s departure and some offseason injuries, there are very low expectations for Montreal as the season begins and an extremely tough Atlantic Division ready to pounce on any weakness. With teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs all considered legitimate Cup contenders, it would be a surprise to see the Canadiens push for the playoffs this season. With that said, a healthy Carey Price from the beginning of the season, impressive young players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi making their debuts, and a potential mid-season return from their new captain could lead to some surprising results for the franchise. Weber will be tasked with keeping this group’s focus over the coming months, until he can get onto the ice with them on a daily basis and lead by example during games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Montreal Canadiens Sign Paul Byron To Four-Year Extension

September 23, 2018 at 10:18 am CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

Despite some speculation from the fan base that Paul Byron might be the next player out the door for the Montreal Canadiens, Byron himself confirmed last week that he was in talks for a contract extension with the team. Those talks have proved fruitful, as the Canadiens announced a new four-year, $13.6MM contract with the veteran forward. Byron has one year remaining on his current contract at $1.17MM, but will get a hefty raise to $3.4MM per year on average through 2022-23. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Byron’s contract does not contain any trade protections and will pay him $4MM in years one and three and $2.8MM in years two and four.

This move lines up nicely with what Montreal wants to do over the course of the contract: continue to be competitive while rebuilding their core. Byron has been a great fit for the Habs since coming over from the Calgary Flames via waivers early in the 2015-16 season. Byron has recorded more points in Montreal over the past two seasons (78) than he did his first 200 NHL games prior (66), including a career-high 43 in 2016-17. He has also proven to be a dependable and durable player, skating in all but one game and logging new highs in ice time in the past two years. One could argue that no Canadien has been more consistent than Byron over the past two seasons, who now has the security to further transition into a leader in the locker room.

The versatile forward joins a new Canadiens’ top six of Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Max Domi, and Phillip Danault, all signed on for multiple seasons with the team. A good checker, penalty killer, and all-around two-way contributor, Byron has blossomed into a balanced player who should provide responsible play up front for years to come for the Canadiens. Byron may not have the same name value as some of this teammates or others in the mid-$3MM salary range, but make no mistake – this is a savvy signing by Montreal to lock up a very capable player.

Snapshots: Byron, Lindback, Bettman

September 16, 2018 at 10:48 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

With the departures of Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk this summer, Paul Byron has seen his stock rise in Montreal. After breaking out with a 43-point campaign in 2016-17, Byron was again a top forward for the Canadiens last season with 35 points and a second consecutive 20-goal season. While the team’s trades have brought in the likes of Max Domi and Tomas Tatar, Byron is now one of the elder statesmen in the Habs forward corps and will be looked upon to take another step forward this year. Byron underwent off-season shoulder surgery and is focused on working his way back to full strength in training camp, with the Canadiens certainly hoping that he will be fully prepared for the regular season. One way or another, Byron’s production in 2018-19 will play a major role in Montreal’s season. Some fans see the 28-year-old impending free agent going the way of Pacioretty and being shipped out of town before he can walk next off-season. Others see him as part of the team new core moving forward. The latter philosophy gained some credence today when Sportsnet’s Eric Engels spoke with Byron. Byron stated that his agent and GM Marc Bergevin have had preliminary extension talks, although he admitted that all parties are interested in how his shoulder recovery and resulting scoring ability pan out. Byron added “I want to stay, I think they want to keep me. Hopefully we’ll get something done soon.” It seems that perhaps the Habs are moving on from trading away core pieces and could look to keep a healthy Byron around beyond this season.

While yesterday’s signing of Anders Lindback by HC Davos of the Swiss NLA is newsworthy enough – the veteran goaltender spent last year in the AHL and has 130 NHL games to his credit – the team’s reason for signing him will also have reverberations in the NHL. Davos was a playoff team in the NLA last season behind their young tandem of Gilles Senn, 22, and Joren van Pottelberghe, 21, and with both keepers still under contract, there was some question as to why the team felt the need to bring in a third goalie of Lindback’s pedigree. Swiss news source Tages Anzeiger reports that the age and performance of those goalies is the exact reason the team decided to move forward with a new starter. Both Senn and van Pottelberghe are NHL draft picks; Senn was selected as an overage player by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round of 2017, while van Pottelberghe was taken by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round when first eligible in 2015. Given their success, Davos was unable to convince either to abandon their plan of making the jump to North America next season, after their current contracts end, to begin the next stage of their careers. Rather than be left without any experienced goalies heading into next season, Davos decided to sign Lindback to a one-year deal to see if he could instead be their long-term solution. If Lindback meets expectations this year, expect an extension sometime over the course of the season.
Elsewhere on the international stage, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is very happy about the league’s growing relationship with China. The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames are currently overseas in the second O.R.G. NHL China Games, after the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks squared off last fall. Per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, Bettman sees this as just the beginning and has big plans for China. In fact, Bettman stated at a press conference on Friday that he envisions regular season games in China in the future, similar to the games planned in Sweden and Finland this season. With the Chinese government and several large companies committed to building rinks and arenas across the country, it’s fair to say that hockey has already made an impact and will only continue to grow in popularity in the world’s most populous country. Bettman acknowledges that no formal talks have been had about regular season games yet, but more preseason games are being scheduled and the league only stands to benefit from a continued presence in China.

Snapshots: Prospects, Byron, Nylander

September 10, 2018 at 1:14 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

It’s that time again, when early rankings of the 2019 draft prospects begin to release and fans everywhere argue over the merit of certain players. Today, Craig Button of TSN published his early Top 40 list for next year’s draft, and to no one’s surprise Jack Hughes sits on top. The 17-year old center has shown he can compete with players several years older than him and should break just about every record imaginable for the US National Team Development Program this season.

Behind Hughes though is a much less consensus ranking with Button putting Dylan Cozens in second place and Kaapo Kakko down at four. Both forwards should be in contention for the second-overall selection by the June draft but could be overtaken by any number of other first round talents. Philip Broberg, another Swedish defenseman occupies Button’s third spot, and brings just about every measurable you’d want on the blue line.

Paul Byron is expected to be ready for the start of Montreal Canadiens training camp according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, as he continues to rehab his injured shoulder. That is a good sign for Montreal, given that Byron is now the team’s top trade chip after they sent Max Pacioretty packing early this morning. Getting off to a healthy and productive start could make Byron one of the most sought after players at this year’s trade deadline, if the Canadiens decide they aren’t going to be able to extend him into the future. The 29-year old is coming off shoulder surgery, but has missed just one game over the past two seasons and tallied 42 goals over that span.
William Nylander is still without a contract despite Toronto Maple Leafs camp opening in just a few days, but newcomer John Tavares isn’t worried. The former New York Islanders captain told reporters including Kristen Shilton of TSN that the players believe Nylander will in fact be in camp. For that to happen the Maple Leafs would need to get a contract finished in the very near future, as players rarely show up without some sort of deal already in place.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens

September 2, 2018 at 3:10 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Montreal Canadiens

Current Cap Hit: $71,687,975 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jesperi Kotkaniemi (three years, $925K)
F Nikita Scherbak (one year, $863K)
D Noah Juulsen (two years, $863K)
F Artturi Lehkonen (one year, $839K)
D Victor Mete (two years, $748K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kotkaniemi: $2.5MM
Juulsen: $425K
Mete: $183K
Scherbak: $175K

Total: $3.28MM

It’s too early to tell if the Canadiens intend to thrust Kotkaniemi onto an NHL roster. Most people feel that the third-overall pick from this year’s draft still needs another year to get bigger and develop his skills, but Montreal is desperate for help at the center position and could consider the 18-year-old to make the leap. Regardless, whether he comes to the NHL now of in the near future, the team does have a franchise center they can look forward to placing into the top-six soon.

Mete had a turbulent rookie season after surprising many by making the team out of training camp. The 20-year-old was brought in to complement Weber due to his speed and puckhandling skills, but he struggled at times and eventually was moved out of the top four and was almost sent back to juniors. In the end, the youngster played 49 games, but with a year of experience under his belt, he is expected to take on a top-four role this season. Juulsen is another solid prospect who should get some time, although more likely in a third-pairing situation.

Scherbak could be the most interesting player. The 22-year-old was a point-a-game player with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, but when recalled to Montreal, he was immediately injured and wasn’t able to capitalize on his opportunity. Scherbak didn’t get the minutes once he returned, scoring four goals in 26 games. However, he might get a chance to gain a regular role this year if he can make a strong impression in camp this year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Max Pacioretty ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tomas Plekanec ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Paul Byron ($1.17MM, UFA)
D Jordie Benn ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Antti Niemi ($950K, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($725K, RFA)
D Xavier Ouellet ($700K, RFA)
F Charles Hudon ($650K, UFA)

Much has been said about Pacioretty over the past few months and even in the past week, but as of now, it looks like the 29-year-old is going to end up back on the first line, barring a trade. The team captain is coming off a disappointing 17-goal season after five straight years of 30-goal campaigns (not including the strike-shortened season in 2012-13). The team will have to determine whether they believe last year’s season was a fluke or whether he’s beginning to decline. The team has already committed to several major contracts and adding another one could be detrimental to a team who should rebuild. If he can prove his value with a bounce back season, the team may look to lock him up.

The 35-year-old Plekanec returns after the team traded him away at the trade deadline. He lacks the offense from the old days, but Plekanec still provides an excellent presence as a bottom-six center who has the experience and solid face-off skills, although his six goals and 20 assists is a career low. Byron is coming off a pair of 20-goal seasons for the Canadiens, but is expected to miss part of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in April. However, the 29-year-old has to prove that he can continue his goal-scoring ways.

The team hopes to get a boost from Armia, who came over when the Canadiens took on Steve Mason’s contract from Winnipeg. The 25-year-old got a full season in with a loaded Jets roster and tallied 12 goals and 29 points. With a bigger role in Montreal, he could become a solid 20-goal scorer. The remainder of players will have to prove their value if they want to come back.

Two Years Remaining

F Max Domi ($3.15MM, RFA)
D David Schlemko ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Matthew Peca ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($950K, UFA)
F Jacob de La Rose ($900, UFA)

The Canadiens gave up a quality player in Alex Galchenyuk in order to acquire Domi. The highly-touted winger has struggled in the NHL over the past couple of years and it probably isn’t a good sign that the Arizona Coyotes gave up on the 23-year-old already, suggesting they didn’t feel that he was going to contribute to their team this year. After a impressive rookie season in which he scored 18 goals and 52 points, he has failed to break double-digits in goals in each of the past two seasons since then. Regardless, Montreal is ready to hand him top-six minutes to prove his value and show that he’s better than Arizona thought he was.

Schlemko provides the team with another depth defenseman, but likely isn’t going to play top-four minutes for the team, while the team has high hopes that Deslauriers can duplicate a 10-goal season on the team’s energy line.

Three Years Remaining

D Jeff Petry ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gallagher ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Phillip Danault ($3.08MM, UFA)
G Charlie Lindgren ($750K, UFA)

While many players had down years, Gallagher was the bright spot for the Canadiens as the 26-year-old broke the 30-goal mark last season for the first time and has established himself as top right wing on the team. It was a big improvement from his injury-riddled 10-goal campaign the previous year. Suddenly, at $3.75MM over the next three years, his contract is likely the best value on the team. The team also gave Danault a solid three-year extension. The 25-year-old only had eight goals and 25 points, but would be a more ideal third-line center. Unfortunately, with a hole at the second-line center, Danault has been thrust into a role he wasn’t ready for. We’ll see if he can handle that same role this season.

The team is paying a lot of money for Petry, who is one of the team’s most experienced defenseman with the injury to Weber, and the veteran should be able to handle the No. 1 duties for the time being. The 30-year-old blueliner showed off some offensive skills last year, posting a career-high 12 goals and 42 points.

Four Or More Years Remaining

G Carey Price ($10.5MM through 2025-26)
D Shea Weber ($7.86MM through 2025-26)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
D Karl Alzner ($4.63MM through 2021-22)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM through 2021-22)

The timing of Price’s poor season could have been better after the team extended the netminder last offseason. Now after a major drop off in performance after many felt he was the best goaltender in the world, the $10.5MM deal that kicks in this season, suddenly looks quite undesirable. After a season in which he posted a 2.23 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 62 games, Price struggled with injuries and struggled all year behind Montreal’s weakened blueline. He put up a 3.11 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 49 games. The question is which Price will come back this year? If he can bounce back and perform even close to his 2016-17 statistics, that contract wouldn’t look to be quite as bad.

Unfortunately, Weber’s contract is another story. The 33-year-old blueliner still has eight years left on his contract, only managed to play 26 games last season after he was forced to undergo surgery on a torn tendon in his foot and now is expected to miss a large chunk of the season with the possibility of returning in mid-December. While a dominant defenseman when healthy, one has to wonder whether a major foot injury may alter the impact that Weber makes for the rest of his career, considering his advancing age and the way that speed has taken the league over recently. Whether the team can keep him on the ice for another year or two, let alone eight, will be something to closely monitor.

The team has high expectations will be able to bounce back after his struggles to adapt to the center position. Drouin will continue to play there this season and with a full season of experience and a chance to train there in the preseason, Drouin should be much more comfortable, centering the team’s top line. The third-overall pick from the 2013 draft, Drouin has all the talent to make the adjustment and give the team a top-six center. However, his numbers took a hit with the change in positions as he managed just 13 goals and 46 points on the year. The team also has high expectations that Alzner, the team’s big free-agent signing a year ago, will bounce back as well. The veteran defenseman had trouble getting integrated with his new team as well as having to deal with the expectations that came with the contract he signed. However, with a year of experience, he should be able to settle into top-four role this season.

Buyouts

G Mason ($1.37MM through 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Gallagher
Worst Value: Weber

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

The team has all the contracts of a team trying to rebuild with youth. Unfortunately, it also has two contracts that are going to weigh down the franchise for eight more years, which is a long time, especially when some of the young players begin to develop and will need new contracts of their own. While the contract of Price might not seem as bad if the veteran goaltender can rebound, it’s likely that Weber’s deal will be a major albatross and it’s way too early to even consider trading that contract or buying it out. Regardless, the team needs to rebuild despite their strange salary cap situation. The addition of Kotkaniemi, regardless of when he arrives to the team, is a start to the rebuild, even if the team won’t acknowledge that’s what they’re doing.

Montreal Holds Several Deadline Chips If Season Goes Poorly

August 31, 2018 at 12:32 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens have been in the news on a daily basis recently, given the situation surrounding captain Max Pacioretty. The 29-year old winger is heading into the final season of his current contract and apparently hasn’t been offered an extension by the Canadiens. Reports of a previous trade request have surfaced along with confirmation that the Canadiens had a deal worked out with the Los Angeles Kings at the draft, leading many to believe that there will be a split before the season begins.

If there isn’t though, and Pacioretty laces up his skates at training camp and to begin the season—something he is expected to do with or without a contract extension—he’ll still be considered one of the biggest names on the trade market during the year. As the deadline next February approaches, Pacioretty’s name would be brought up again and again due to his relatively low cap hit and still capable offensive game. But there is more in Montreal than just Pacioretty when it comes to trade chips.

By all accounts, the Canadiens front office is hoping—even expecting—a rebound from their disappointing 2017-18 campaign. A healthy Carey Price would go a long way to that goal, especially given Shea Weber’s ongoing struggles. Weber underwent surgery in June to repair the meniscus in his knee, and is expected to be out until December. The team got a taste of what their defensive group was capable of without Weber last season, and could struggle once again this year. If they do, and Price can’t return to his Vezina form to bail them out of it, the season could be lost once again.

If the deadline approaches and Montreal is out of it, they stand ready another incredible asset. Paul Byron, who is also coming back from surgery this offseason, is another player heading into the final season of his current contract and scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019. The different between Byron and many of the other assets that could be on the market though is his ridiculously low cap hit. At just $1.167MM, Byron has been one of the leagues biggest bargains the last two seasons and will likely get a chance to perform once again in 2017-18. The fact that his actual salary is even lower—just $1MM this season—makes him one of the most attractive assets that could be available.

To many, Byron may not seem like as notable an addition as someone like Pacioretty. But looking at the potential names available at the deadline, few can match Byron in terms of even strength goal scoring. Over the last two seasons Byron has tallied 38 goals at even strength, more than incredible talents like Phil Kessel, Jack Eichel, Leon Draisaitl, Johnny Gaudreau, Anze Kopitar, and yes, even Pacioretty. He’s done that scoring despite averaging fewer than 13 minutes of even strength time per night and playing several different positions and with different linemates.

In fact, there may be a case to be made that Byron is a better asset than Pacioretty at the deadline given his versatility. Byron averaged almost two minutes of short handed time last season, and was arguably the Canadiens best penalty killer. A team looking for help during a Stanley Cup run will strongly consider the Montreal forward if made available. That’s not guaranteed though, as Montreal could still offer Byron an extension in the coming months instead.

There are others too, including Tomas Plekanec, Jordie Benn and David Schlemko that could all bring back a potential return at the deadline. Schlemko is signed for two seasons, but the former two are both inked for just one year and could be worthwhile depth additions at the deadline.

If the Canadiens find themselves out of the picture partway through the season, there’s no reason to hang onto their expiring assets. Luckily, they still carry enough value to allow a team that should be considering a real rebuild to cash in on their final days. It’s newsworthy times in Montreal right now, but could be again a few months down the line.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Paul Byron Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Out Six Months

April 18, 2018 at 2:13 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

One of the only bright spots in the Montreal Canadiens season was speedster Paul Byron, who scored 20 goals for the second consecutive year. Unfortunately, the team announced today that he underwent shoulder surgery and will be out six months. That puts the start of the 2018-19 season in doubt, as six months from now is the middle of October.

That’s a bad start to an important offseason for the Canadiens as they try to crawl back to competitiveness for next year. Byron is an extremely valuable part of their forward group, even if he doesn’t create a ton of offensive opportunities for his linemates. Instead, he’s used as an elite counter-puncher and penalty killer for Montreal, able to stretch defenses out and provide a solid two-way presence for their middle-six.

It seems as though the first month of the season is in doubt, and he’ll almost certainly miss all of training camp. That’s a big loss for the Canadiens, but could also really hurt Byron down the road. He’s headed into the last season of his current contract and scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019. A third straight 20-goal season would look mighty fine as he hits the open market at 30 years old, something that may be out of reach if he misses a full month.

Load More Posts

Headlines