Paul Byron increased his stock with the Montreal Canadiens earning a four-year contract extension, but that may be a problem if he remains in the bottom six.
Taking players off of waivers or putting them on waivers always comes with a risk. Sometimes a team can capitalize on an opportunity where a player needs to be sent down to the minors but needs waivers to do it. But most of the time, someone goes on the wire without any chance of having too much success elsewhere even if they are claimed. Fortunately for the Montreal Canadiens, that didn’t happen with Paul Byron.
Byron will go down as one of the “waiver claim gone right” stories in the league for years to come. He was originally a part of the Calgary Flames organization and saw himself on waivers at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.
The Habs made their claim, and Byron became a Canadien. His first season with Montreal was on the same wavelength as his previous years with the Flames putting up 18 points. Byron did however set a career-high with 11 goals and established himself as a key penalty killer.
The following two seasons placed Byron in another tier on the Habs with back-to-back 20-goal seasons despite a very high shooting percentage. This past year was a tough one for Byron with injuries and missing games due to suspension leading him only to put up 15 goals and 16 assists in 56 games.
Byron already did enough to prove his long-term worth, and the Montreal Canadiens signed him to a four-year contract worth $3.4 million per season.
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In most cases, that would be decent value for a team leader who can score and kill penalties. That said, there could be a time where the Byron contract ends up not being too friendly, especially if he continues to see minutes on the fourth line.
Byron on the fourth line didn’t happen a lot this past season, but his average ice time this season did take a hit. He and Jesperi Kotkaniemi had some great chemistry on the third line together though the 2018 first-round pick’s wingers could change.
It’s safe to assume Byron remains in the top nine at least. With Andrew Shaw being moved to the Chicago Blackhawks, there is a free spot next to Max Domi on the second line (assuming he stays at centre). Some are jumping at the thought of Nick Suzuki impressing so much that he makes the team out of camp taking a spot along the wall.
That could be a long shot given the congestion on the wing already. Hopefully, Claude Julien makes the right decision and gives Suzuki a shot if he proves he can hang just like Kotkaniemi did last year. The question is whether it’s financially ideal to have a $3.4 million player on the fourth line or the bottom six as a whole.
As we’ve all mentioned, the Montreal Canadiens have a two-year window to get something done before Bergevin has to start dishing out the real dollars.
The entire top-line of Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar, and Brendan Gallagher will be up as well as Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling. At the same time, you’d like to think Suzuki, and some of the other prospects will be up with the team by then.
Byron is 30 and will be 34 by the end of his deal and should be able to perform. But if Byron is surpassed and forced to stay on the fourth-line, it may be a contract Bergevin tries to move.
In the salary cap era, you pay your stars and either get your depth on affordable deals or let them walk. Byron is a part of the core Bergevin has built over the years, but if he isn’t pulling his weight, the Montreal Canadiens can’t afford to commit.
They won’t be in this salary honeymoon forever, and that’s when the real decisions will have to be made. At this very moment, Byron’s contract isn’t a problem, but who knows in a season or two whether that sentiment will remain the same.