Confirmed with Link: Montreal Canadiens Sign Paul Byron to 4-Year Extension ($3.4M AAV)

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm saying that at this moment, it's not a rebuild.

Sadly our GM is completely lost , ur right

 

[CauZuki]

Some of the same people upset we re-signed Byron because he is "too old", were upset we did not sign Radulov and even Markov!

I am not upset and who we are today has nothing to do with when we wanted to re-sign Markov/Radu. Circumstances matter believe it or not.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I’ve never believed it was, but I reserve the right to complain about the direction.

Most definitely.

 

[Frank Drebin]

You kidding? Byron would have a hard time making the fourth line of a contender, that's way too much money for him, another over payment by MB

Byron would be an excellent third liner on any team in the league. Do you watch him play?

 

[japhi]

Almost as much of a fantasy as thinking he would have only gotten us a late 2nd. Considerably ****tier players have gotten more than a late 2nd.

We are talking probability here. And wake me up when an undersized third line 30 point winger gets traded for a first. The next time it happens will be the first time. I’ll concede its possible if you will aknowledge its highly unlikely.

 

[26Mats]

But you aren’t getting a high quality picks or prospects for Byron. We got him on waivers for gods sake. It would be stupid to trade him for a second round pick or a b level prospect. He is only 29 and seems to be getting better, he is a guy you keep around for the rebuild.

29 is getting old in the new NHL. How many 30 year olds do you see that are "getting better" ?

Also, some other posters think we can get a 1st for him. Martin St. Louis was on waivers at one point. How he was acquired has little to do with his trade value. He has higher trade value to a contender than Hudon, Lehkonen and Scherbak, who need to play.

 

[japhi]

I think the last 10 trades are more reflective on how the market is valuing 1st round picks more than your trades that date as far back to 2014 IIRC.

Hanzal/Hartman (23 yo former 1st) are the two recent ones from 2017/18 and were brutal though...I think those steals are more unlikely than you think though. Just look at what the recent 1st trades were involved in.

And Hanzal was a 6’6 40 point shut down C. No comparable to Byron.

Hartman trade was brutal

 

[Talks to Goalposts]

Simply put, Byron is part of a glut of middle-six wingers on this team, is on the wrong side of the aging curve and a very tradeable asset.

This move reflects several Bergevin pathologies
1. Doubling down on successes to the point they become mistakes
2. Incorrect appreciation of the aging curve
3. An absurd obsession with accumulating mid-tier wingers, to the point there isn't enough playing time for all of the horde of decent talent the team has on both wings.

 

[sheed36]

I'd much rather have Byron and his contract on the Habs than Shaw and the remainder of his contract. MB needs to try and pawn his boy Shawzie off on some other team if that's even possible at this point.

 

[absolute garbage]

I like Byron but simply out of principle would never lock myself to a bottom 6 player for effectively five seasons. Especially when it's a bottom 6 player going into his 30s. It's just bad, unnecessary business. The risk/reward is just not there.

This team is also not in a situation where Byron has been/was going to be an important part of a winning team or something, and therefore important to keep. It would've been better to cash in, get maybe those assets back that were lost in Shaw deal, and find a replacement for free/cheap. You can't compare this contract to the idiotic contracts that other moron GMs throw around, you have to compare this to what a replacement level player or someone close to it would bring. Is Byron 3x better/more valuable to this team going forward than someone like Peca + draft picks? Nah, he's not.

 

[Redux91]

Well, for every bergevin coup de genie...we get one of these...

what a f***ing moron, we needed to TRADE paul, not STAY small for years to come...

 

[DXStriker]

Its a good deal and everything but we are stacked at Wing and he could have been AMAZING.. Trade value at the deadline in a DEEP draft in the following 2 years . I dont know about this one..

Again .. Byron is awesome and its a good deal but with the status of our team it would be a fantastic chip at the deadline

 

[Dominator13]

That's it??? What a steal that contract is!!

Byron's effort on the ice is a constant 10/10, he looks good in every situation and gives the Habs 5 on 5 statistics very few have.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Good deal
Just like the past 2 years, I think the next 5 years will be the same in the sense that he starts in the 4th line and ends up climbing because of injuries or players underperforming

 

[Omar]

I know we want them to get younger. But they're also looking to get faster. And truth be told, not many in the entire NHL is as fast as Byron, even at his age. So this is a great signing in my book. He's 29, so this will bring him to 33 years old.

They already have him. They don’t get faster with this signing.

 

[Captain Mountain]

I'm pretty meh on this. Contract is fair, Byron is a good player worth having, but Montreal has too many wingers and something needs to give there. Management seems to think Domi is a center (he isn't), but even if one of Drouin and Domi are at center, Tatar, Domi/Drouin, Gallagher, Lehkonen, Hudon, Byron, Armia, Scherbak, Shaw, etc. are too many NHL wingers.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

Seems like poor asset management. I love Byron, but he could and should have been dangled at or before the deadline for picks/prospects. You could have done the Plekanec wink wink nod nod re-sign him after if you wanted to keep him.

That being said, he’s worked hard and been a great waiver pick up and I’m happy for him personally, just think the Habs as an organization missed out on maximizing some value.

 

[Adam Michaels]

They already have him. They don’t get faster with this signing.

Exactly what I'm saying. They're looking to get faster, and he's already fast. Meaning that they need to add to Byron's speed.

 

[Dagistitsyn]

I'm pretty meh on this. Contract is fair, Byron is a good player worth having, but Montreal has too many wingers and something needs to give there. Management seems to think Domi is a center (he isn't), but even if one of Drouin and Domi are at center, Tatar, Domi/Drouin, Gallagher, Lehkonen, Hudon, Byron, Armia, Scherbak, Shaw, etc. are too many NHL wingers.

Agreed. I think one of Scherbak / maybe Hudon get trade in a couple days before having to put one on waivers. Shaw will come back and play until he’s injured again, probably end up being bought out.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Jeeze-uh... already closing in on 500 comments


Does he hace NTC?

 

[Adam Michaels]

Jeeze-uh... already closing in on 500 comments


Does he hace NTC?

No clause attached to his contract.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I agree with those who are saying this is a bit premature. At least wait till he comes back from surgery

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Don’t have a problem with this. Deserves everybody penny . Hopefully he gets flipped soon enough

 

[26Mats]

Simply put, Byron is part of a glut of middle-six wingers on this team, is on the wrong side of the aging curve and a very tradeable asset.

This move reflects several Bergevin pathologies
1. Doubling down on successes to the point they become mistakes
2. Incorrect appreciation of the aging curve
3. An absurd obsession with accumulating mid-tier wingers, to the point there isn't enough playing time for all of the horde of decent talent the team has on both wings.

The bigger Bergevin pathology is thinking: as long as we add character, regardless of position or talent level, we're making a good move.

 

[lamp9post]

I'm good with this deal, although I appreciate some of the criticisms that other posters have pointed out.

Byron is the kind of guy we should keep around for the rebuild. Few can replace what he does in terms of speed, PK ability, and 5-5 defensive play. And he can play on any line. That flexibility and ability to play tough minutes will be a benefit when we start to graduate our key prospects.

To me, this puts guys like Scherbak, McCarron, and DLR on the hot seat (maybe even Hudon). But I don't see Byron blocking the progress of any of our top prospects or young players.