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Montreal Canadiens: Who is Next Captain of the Habs?

By Ken MacMillan

Jun 28, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens Shea Weber Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens Shea Weber Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 20, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Paul Byron. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 20, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Paul Byron. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Paul Byron

An obvious place to start when looking for the team’s next captain is at the current assistant captain’s. Left winger Paul Byron has been wearing an “A” on his Canadiens jersey for the past four seasons, exactly the same amount of time Weber has been wearing the “C”.

Byron has played the past six seasons with the Canadiens after being picked up on waivers from the shortsighted Calgary Flames. He worked his way up from the bottom of the roster where he wasn’t even guaranteed a spot in the lineup every night to a back to back 20 goal scorer, who would have scored 20 goals for a third consecutive season if not for injuries.

Byron’s speed is what sets him apart on the ice and his ability to kill penalties, play smart defensive minutes and battle for pucks even though he is just 5’9″ and 165 pounds has made him a regular at the NHL level.

While his work ethic and ability to take nothing for granted make him an admirable choice for a leadership position on the team, I don’t think Byron is the top choice to replace Weber as the captain. Byron has two years left on his contract, and he is also dealing with a long term injury. He will be out until Christmas after undergoing hip surgery and with Tyler Toffoli, Cole Caufield, Jonathan Drouin, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Hoffman, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Artturi Lehkonen and Mathieu Perreault playing the wings on the roster, there isn’t even a guarantee that Byron will be in the lineup every night once he returns to full health.

The “A” will stay on Byron’s jersey until he leaves town, but handing a player the “C” only to see them miss the first half of the season with injury and then battle for a spot in the lineup doesn’t make a lot of sense.

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