Montreal Canadiens: Paul Byron – From Waivers Regular To Playoff Hero

I think we’ve all seen this goal about a hundred times already. We’re likely to see it a few thousand times more in the future.

The incredible short-handed game-winning goal in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs will certainly be an incredible highlight for Paul Byron. Of course, for all Montreal Canadiens fans, it’s the goal that sent everyone leaping off their couches, waking up children and non-hockey fans everywhere, and celebrating what was an intense and emotional game.

For Byron however, while shocking the world with the Canadiens taking Game 1, it’s an incredible milestone to what has been, to put it mildly, a very frustrating season.

In an attempt to unload his annual $3.4 million salary, Marc Bergevin has placed Byron on waivers not once, not twice, but thrice! As expected, no one took the bait so Byron was left travelling back and forth to the Taxi Squad. To be more precise, he’s been designated for assignment on the Taxi Squad a total of 14 times. That’s fourteen in case you were wondering if that was a typo. It doesn’t matter if he was designated because of injury or to save a few dollars on the salary cap, in a season where everything is strange to begin with, it can’t be easy to digest.

In the end, Byron’s professionalism is something to be admired and is a reason why he regularly wears an “A” on his jersey despite being relegated to 4th line duties. Never will you hear him complain about anything or anyone.

Ever.

The Ottawa native and Gatineau Olympiques alumni was drafted in the 6th round by the Buffalo Sabres in 2007. During his time in Gatineau, he had the chance to play with future Flyers captain Claude Giroux. During the 2007-08 season, Byron and Giroux combined forces to lead their team to the President’s Trophy, giving the team its 7th championship in history, the most out of all teams.

When Giroux left for the Flyers in 2008, Paul Byron took the pressure on his shoulders and led the team with 99 points, 33 goals and 66 assists. The Olympiques won their division and were ultimately eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs despite having Byron as their only NHL-drafted player and having some drama behind the bench. Benoit Groulx, who was head coach of the Olympiques for 7 seasons and had won 3 championships, had left the team to become the head coach of the Rochester Americans in the AHL. One of Groulx’s former assistants, Mario Richer, was hired as the new bench boss, despite not having coached since the 05-06 season. It took only 20 games to realize the mistake of hiring him and after a 5-13-2 record, Richer was fired and replaced by former Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Jerome Dupont.

Byron often speaks very highly of the Gatineau Olympiques. Not only was he able to play his juniors just across the bridge from home, but was also part of a storied franchise with famous names such as Pat Burns, Alain Vigneault and Claude Julien behind the bench. Notable player alumni include Jeremy Roenick, Luc Robitaille, Jose Theodore, Michael Ryder and Jean-Gabriel Pageau just to name a few of the 80 or so players and coaches that have gone on to play or coach in the NHL.

Merely hours before the Buffalo Sabres would lose his rights, Byron would sign his entry-level NHL contract. Having spent the majority of his time with the Portland Pirates of the AHL, Byron would finally make his NHL debut on Jan. 22, 2011, against the New York Islanders and get an assist for his first NHL point. He would score his first NHL goal against his hometown team, the Ottawa Senators, the very next game. Those would be the only points he would amass in his 8 games in the NHL that season.

Thinking that he would have a shot at cracking the Sabres roster after 33 and 53 point seasons in the AHL, Byron would learn at the 2011 Draft that he was traded to the Calgary Flames.

For the next two seasons, Byron would regularly travel between the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL to the main club in Calgary. A trend seemed to be setting in, however, one all too familiar with current Habs fans, where Byron would play a few solid games only to be injured. A shoulder injury here, a broken hand there, it just seemed unavoidable that Byron would be spending some time at the infirmary. Fans and media alike would attribute that to his small stature, being only 5 foot 9 and barely 160 pounds. People saw the potential but his small frame seemed too fragile for the NHL style of play.

One who didn’t give up on Byron was then Calgary Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley. After notching 18 points in 23 games with Abbotsford, Byron finally earned a regular spot on the Flames roster. Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald caught this quote from Bob Hartley in December of 2013:

The size of the heart is much more important than the physical size. Here’s a guy who plays like he’s six-foot-two, six-foot-three. He’s not avoiding traffic. – Bob Hartley on Paul Byron, December 2013.

Byron’s hard work and dedication finally paid off. The following season he would stay with Calgary and to this day, has never been sent back down to the AHL. Once again, however, his career would take a twist.

During the 2015 offseason, Paul Byron became a restricted free agent and the Flames made a qualifying offer to retain his rights. After filing for arbitration, the player and team would finally settle on a 1-year $900,000 deal. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

What wasn’t expected however was that a few days before the 2015-16 season would start, Byron would find out he didn’t make the starting roster and would have to be exposed to waivers before being sent down to Abbotsford. The team was confident that someone like Paul Byron, who had an NHL career consisting of 17 goals, 31 assists for 48 points in 138 games, plus a history of injuries, wouldn’t get claimed.

They didn’t count on the magic of the internet to shine through.

A Flames fan put up this video in jest, showing what is seemingly a developing reputation of Byron not being able to seal the deal when he gets on the breakaway. The winger has always been recognized for his speed and skill but just couldn’t seem to bury the puck.

Despite a sports hernia that required surgery that past April as well as surgery on his right wrist in May, which included a screw planted in his tendons that was eventually removed in September, the video came to the attention of the Montreal Canadiens pro scouts and would lead to the team claiming Byron on waivers, as per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

Not exactly a flattering way to get recognized, but it earned him an NHL job near home and as usual, Paul Byron took it in stride.

Playing most of the year on a 4th line with the likes of Torrey Mitchell, Bryan Flynn, Sven Andrighetto and Dale Weise, Byron managed to put up a career-high 11 goals in 62 games. His hard work and dedication were quickly rewarded with a 3-year contract extension signed in late February totalling $3.5 million. The Canadiens thought they had found themselves a solid speedy 4th liner with character.

Once again, things would take a turn. This time, however, in his favour.

Byron would enter the 2016-17 season healthy and hungry. His potential finally exploded and put on full display, as he would march onto a career year. In 81 games he would put up 22 goals, 21 assists for 43 points. The following season he would once again remain healthy, this time playing all 82 games and finishing with 20 goals, 15 assists for 35 points.

Entering the 2018-19 season on the last year of his contract, Byron had the big end of the stick. He had just completed two healthy 20-goal seasons and proved to show consistency and leadership on and off the ice. Moreso, he proved that he can remain healthy. Marc Bergevin would quickly re-up Byron to a new contract but this time to a mammoth 4-year $13.6 million. A $3.4 million annual cap hit with a quirk. Byron would be paid $4 million in salary in years 1 and 3 of his contract while years 2 and 4 would pay him $2.8 million.

Fans and media both loved the player, but the contract wasn’t exactly cheered upon. Despite being two excellent seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, he was still at best a 3rd line winger who can jump on the 2nd, on occasion. Fans would often point out that Byron’s aggressive style of play would eventually catch up to him despite just playing two full seasons for the first time of his professional career.

The skepticism was partially proven correct. Despite being limited to 56 games, Byron still played at full speed and posted 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. Despite missing time, it seemed #41 was still able to play his high-speed/high-intensity game and put the puck in the net. So we’ll scratch that season off as bad luck.

Another twist and turn in his career, once again, however, with more bad luck on the horizon.

In the pandemic-shortened season of 2019-20 Byron only played in 29 games. His list of injuries was getting so long that some fans would think such a list would make former Canadiens Benoit Brunet blush. There was no way that a player with such a history of injuries, all while entering his age 32 season, can get back to his 2017 form.

In an insanely condensed season, being put on waivers three times, dealing this time with only minor injuries and even being a healthy scratch once, Paul Byron still only missed 10 games in the 2020-21 56-game season. His 5 goals and 11 assists were nothing to write home about, but Byron played a much more responsible type of play on the 4th line and formed chemistry of sorts with rookie Jake Evans.

Regular season aside, let’s not forget that Byron loves playing under pressure. Let’s remember him flying up and down the ice as he recorded 4 points in 10 games playing 3rd and 4th line minutes during last year’s playoffs.

I’ve mentioned it more than once in this article and I’ll mention it again. Despite the injuries, the criticism regarding his contract and being put on waivers three times this season, Paul Byron has never complained. He wears his “A” on that legendary jersey with so much pride.

He married Sarah Leblond in 2014. The same woman he met during his junior years in Gatineau and after nearly not surviving those early years because of the distant relationship, they have now been together for more than 12 years and have two wonderful children. He lives year-round on the south shore near the Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard. He bleeds “bleu-blanc-rouge” through and through and has said on numerous occasions that he doesn’t want to play for any other team.

Had he been four or five inches taller, he would’ve been picked in the 2nd round. He wouldn’t have been snubbed because of his height and would’ve made the NHL much faster. Maybe he wouldn’t have been injured so often either because of his style of play.

Paul Byron often cites Brendan Gallagher as an inspiration. The same intensity flows through them and they give it their all, shift after shift.

If you want to be an accountant and leave your emotions at the door, yes, his contract is too rich and we’re likely stuck with the expensive cap hit for another 2 seasons.

However, when Paul Byron explodes from his blue line and past everyone, grabs the puck from the opposing defenceman, gets tripped, lands on his knees, and launches his entire body in order to get a shot, and scores the winning goal, while killing a penalty in a playoff game to boot, that moment just becomes priceless.