Player Discussion Paul Byron

[BehindTheTimes]

This is why you don't give him that contract. You let him be a UFA.

Completely disagree, love this signing and I also completely disagree with your assessment that he's more valuable to someone else than he is to us. This was a great signing imo.

 

[Saundies]

Out week-to-week now, per Julien today. You never really know what you got til it's gone, and now with the injury to Armia it seems that guys are going to be slotted into weird spots in the line-up for a while.

With him and Armia in, it looks much better:

Tatar - Danault - Gally
Drouin - Domi - Byron
Finnish line
Hudon - Peca - Shaw

 

[LaP]

Completely disagree, love this signing and I also completely disagree with your assessment that he's more valuable to someone else than he is to us. This was a great signing imo.

Why? It's easy to say it's a great signing but why? In which plan to eventually win a cup is signing Byron a great signing?

I'll say why i think it's not a great signing. We are not winning a cup in the next 3 to 5 years. After that period Byron will be past his prime and will be a replaceable player easily. Our goal right now should 100% be to add elite talents. In 2018 pretty much the only way to add elite talents is thru the draft. To do that you must acquire picks. Drafting players is not an exact science and the more times you go at the bat the higher are the chances you draft elite talents.

I firmly believe with his current contract Byron was worth a 1st round pick. At the deadline he adds like ~600 000 to the cap. Getting more first round picks should 100% be the plan in the situation we are in right now. Byron with his new contract is not worthless but he will interest less teams since they'll have to pay him 3 millions for many years and a lot of the cup contending teams are close to the cap already (you wont get picks from bottom feeders).

Less interest means less value. If i'm a cup contending team i'm interested in Byron to finish the year but not sure i want to tie 3 millions of my cap for many years on an unproven player. I know lot of people worship Byron like he is the 2nd coming of Jesus but the fact remains he has just one 40+ points season and just two 20+ goals seasons. Both of those seasons were over 80 games (he did not do those numbers in 75 something games).

I also believe we have more than enough vet and leadership without Byron. We have Price. We have Weber. Gallagher and Danault are old enough to play a bigger leadership role. I just don't see what is the purpose of Byron in any plan to rebuild/retool and eventually win a cup. It simply doesn't make any sense for me to keep this guy if you aim to win a cup when the kids will be old enough to contend which will be past Byron's prime.

 

[Koivu11]

 

[Kotkaniemi15]

He's going to be huge for us when he comes back

 

[MarkovsKnee]

That is good news. Will help our p.k and adds depth scoring and is good defensively. He should help. Hudon probably loses his spot in the line-up.

 

[Bacchus1]

Great news. With Weber also likely back, the team will get some much needed support.

 

[1909]

Great news. With Weber also likely back, the team will get some much needed support.

Right !

too bad Armia and Juulsen, two of our tallest, biggest physical players are injured for a while.

 

[Tyson]

Byron and Weber will make a huge difference. Weber will need several games so we need to expect some rust

 

[FrankMTL]

Byron and Weber will make a huge difference. Weber will need several games so we need to expect some rust

They do make a huge difference. It's easy to forget how effective Paul Byron is. Even with his new contract he is definitely valuable on the trade market. Easily on pace for another 20 goal season over 82 games. In fact, he would be on pace for over 30 goals over 82 games, but obviously that would be a long shot.

 

[Tyson]

They do make a huge difference. It's easy to forget how effective Paul Byron is. Even with his new contract he is definitely valuable on the trade market. Easily on pace for another 20 goal season over 82 games. In fact, he would be on pace for over 30 goals over 82 games, but obviously that would be a long shot.

Paul Byron out of the line up has a huge impact on this team. He is just a terrific player. He is worth the money he is being paid.

 

[Captain Mountain]

They do make a huge difference. It's easy to forget how effective Paul Byron is. Even with his new contract he is definitely valuable on the trade market. Easily on pace for another 20 goal season over 82 games. In fact, he would be on pace for over 30 goals over 82 games, but obviously that would be a long shot.

The thing with Byron though is that he does so many little things that he's worth it even when he's not scoring.

 

[Max2]

Like the announcer said last night,Byron is the Swiss army knife of hockey players.He can do it all and has some of the fastest skates in the business.

 

[26Mats]

Byron and Weber will make a huge difference. Weber will need several games so we need to expect some rust

We're a pretty solid all around team that can realistically compete with any team in the league when healthy.

If I were management I would seriously be looking at ways to prevent injury, educating players on which dangerous plays to avoid. The game has become safer, so I do think there will be less injuries. But one of the most critical keys to our success this year is avoiding injuries. We don't have that one big line to carry us. But we do have 4 very solid lines.

 

[FrankMTL]

Paul Byron, the gift that keeps on giving. Already has 9 goals (and 5 assists) in 23 games. He seems to be getting better and better. Over 82 games, he would be on pace for 32 goals this year. I'm not saying he would hit that, but I wouldn't be surprised if he hit 25 goals this year if he stays healthy. What's even better regarding his goal scoring, is that 60 of the 62 goals he scored with us since we picked him off of waivers have been scored at regular strength. He gets almost no power play time.

He's worth every penny of his 4 year X 3.4 million dollar contract. I don't think this hurts his trade value at all. In fact, it probably helps that he's locked into a cap friendly deal, especially if he scores 20+ goals for a 3rd year in a row.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Paul Byron, the gift that keeps on giving. Already has 9 goals (and 5 assists) in 23 games. He seems to be getting better and better. Over 82 games, he would be on pace for 32 goals this year. I'm not saying he would hit that, but I wouldn't be surprised if he hit 25 goals this year if he stays healthy. What's even better regarding his goal scoring, is that 60 of the 62 goals he scored with us since we picked him off of waivers have been scored at regular strength. He gets almost no power play time.

He's worth every penny of his 4 year X 3.4 million dollar contract. I don't think this hurts his trade value at all. In fact, it probably helps that he's locked into a cap friendly deal, especially if he scores 20+ goals for a 3rd year in a row.

That's because he's useless on PP. Don't get me wrong though, I love Ti-Paul but PP is just not his forte and I'm glad we're not using him there.

 

[417]

One of the NHL's more underrated players.

 

[26Mats]

One of the NHL's more underrated players.

I hope we can find a line on which he's productive and a fixture. He could push for 30 goals.

The closest was when he was on the Byron-Galchenyuk-Radulov line before Galchenyuk's knee injury.

I don't like him on a Drouin-Domi-Byron line. That line doesn't have enough muscle when it is needed on the cycle.

I'd go with

Tatar Domi Gallagher
Drouin Kotkaniemi Byron/Shaw
Lehkonen Danault Shaw/Byron

 

[FrankMTL]

That's because he's useless on PP. Don't get me wrong though, I love Ti-Paul but PP is just not his forte and I'm glad we're not using him there.

Well regardless if he sucks or not on the PP, he produces at regular strength, which is more important.

 

[Habby4Life]

One of the NHL's more underrated players.

This is the best line that describes Byron!

Worth every penny of his new contract.

 

[DangerDave]

This is the best line that describes Byron!

Worth every penny of his new contract.

I kinda like the Swiss Army knife of the NHL. Versatile. Very low maintenance too. Super happy with his play.

 

[De Montreal]

I don't like him on a Drouin-Domi-Byron line. That line doesn't have enough muscle when it is needed on the cycle.

Tatar Domi Gallagher
Drouin Kotkaniemi Byron/Shaw
Lehkonen Danault Shaw/Byron

True, but with Tatar, Drouin, Kotkaniemi, Danault, Byron, Lehkonen in the top 9 this team will never have enough muscle to cycle.

 

[26Mats]

True, but with Tatar, Drouin, Kotkaniemi, Danault, Byron, Lehkonen in the top 9 this team will never have enough muscle to cycle.

I find Tatar, Kotkaniemi, Danault, and lehkonen can hold their own enough in the new NHL without hooking, holding and even any kind of small slashing to the hands and stick. The opposition players aren't as big, because they too have to be fast to keep up. But Byron and Peca are another level easy to knock off the puck, and Drouin isn't the strongest.

 

[Chr1s97]

True, but with Tatar, Drouin, Kotkaniemi, Danault, Byron, Lehkonen in the top 9 this team will never have enough muscle to cycle.

True thats why I love me a guy like Armia rn. I keep craving to add size in our top 6-9 but people thing im a dinosaur. They're some style of game that we CANT play cause we're limited phisicaly and specially at key position. We need to add frame if we want to be able to cycling and go to work if you want to create something outta nothing and make s*** happen against good defensive team. Beside our speed I really doubt that there's any good D chore that fears something else from us.

 

[Guilliam]

True, but with Tatar, Drouin, Kotkaniemi, Danault, Byron, Lehkonen in the top 9 this team will never have enough muscle to cycle.

I don't disagree but I find it weird that you include Kotkaniemi in that list. The kid is 18 and he's 6'2". Winning board battles and cycling the puck down low is not gonna be a problem for him when he matures physically.