Player Discussion Paul Byron

[lamp9post]

Of course not talking lottery pick. Just need to iron out conditions. Today its the 11th pick. So you make the condition pick 10 and lower.

Philly gets Byron for pk reasons, sweet deal plus speed. And they get some combo of Mtl's 3 2nd rounders.

Initial discussion was about taking cap dump as well.

If pick winds up 13-20 as it very well could be, trade makes sense.

Possibly, just seems to me that Byron is an odd target for a team that is on the outside looking in. IF Byron is dealt I think the likeliest scenario is that we choose the best package of draft picks offered (likely from a contender) and then possibly looking to package picks to move up at the draft.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Okay, I did not know that and that makes sense, I just never saw a guy like Byron getting a 1st round pick, time will tell I guess.

Had 22 goals last year. At this moment, he is on pace for 23. Teams will value a 20+ goal scorer. He offers secondary scoring, he has speed, is excellent on the PK (as special teams are even more important in the playoffs). I can see him getting a 1st. If a team believes they can go deep in the playoffs, they'd be more open to trading their 1st as they will be under the belief it will be a late pick (25th or later).

 

[LaP]

L
Checker is a little hard: 24 g 45 pts in 2014 and went at 2015 tdl.

It's pretty close to what Byron is doing right now. I mean a team trading for Byron doesn't care what he'll do 3 years from now and which type of career he'll have overall. Of course Vermette is the better player by a fair margin. But was Vermette that much better than what Byron is now when he was traded? What the team acquiring Byron will care about is what Byron can provide now. And the answer is around 15 goals and 35 points at 1 millions cap hit. The year Vermette was traded for a 1st he did 13 goals and 38 points and produced at a 28 points over 82 games rate in playoffs. He was mostly done as an offensive player. He was mostly a faceoffs and defensive specialist at this point.

Byron would be a stop gap on a cheap contract not hurting the cap. Not sure it's worth a 1st but surely a 2nd. Potentially a 2nd and 3rd. Maybe more if a team wants to do a push this year, has only 1 millions or so left to spend, doesn't have cap dump contracts to trade and can't find anything fitting in this cap space left to help them.

 

[lamp9post]

Exactly. I could see a team like the Blues being interested in Byron. They don't have much cap space left and while they will have a relief next year with Stasny's contract ending they'll also have to replace him if Thomas and Kyrou are not ready and Fabri is still injured. Knee injuries are always tricky. A guy like Byron could slot in for this year and next year while not hurting their cap much. He can play all positions. I could see a team like that being interested.

Agreed. I think many teams would be interested. Byron may not be the best player available at the deadline, but he may be the best 'fit' on many teams (both the player and the contract). Should be plenty of interest in him which may drive up the price.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Just go back and see how many career grinders netted a first + in the last 3 years alone.
But again you are valuing him based on his aquisition cost (waivers) , last two years, byron has not been a grinder, but a typical New NHL player

Players on bad teams get elevated roles that can inflate their scoring; that is what turned Byron into a 20 goal scorer. Byron is not anywhere close to Brian Gionta or Mike Cammalleri, two poster childs of the "new NHL" where clutch and grab were supposedly not called anymore. Byron barely shoots(averages 1.45 a game) but is riding an insane shot percentage. When the playoffs comes, you cannot count on him for goals because he most likely will take one shot in a game. If he takes 8 shots over 6 or 7 games, he's going to post a point in just one game and goose-eggs for the rest on average. For the playoffs, that is far too underwhelming for even a 3rd liner.

 

[TopTenPlayz]

A heck of a play he made last night. Stick lifted and easily took the puck away from McAvoy, head on an odd man rush against Chara no less, made a saucy backhand pass to Pacio for the easy tap in. Byron's skills are definitely underrated.

 

[No More Subban]

Imagine if we actually had a legit top 6 and Byron is a regular 3rd liner.

Too bad MB is clueless.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

A heck of a play he made last night. Stick lifted and easily took the puck away from McAvoy, head on an odd man rush against Chara no less, made a saucy backhand pass to Pacio for the easy tap in. Byron's skills are definitely underrated.

Um no, if he could do that day in and day out, he'd be posting 30 assists regularly. He has some hand-eye, but many third liners do show flashes of hands or hand-eye but can never produce at a legitimate top 6 pace.

 

[jaffy27]

Imagine if we actually had a legit top 6 and Byron is a regular 3rd liner.

Too bad MB is clueless.

Hard to get top 6 players when you can't draft them.....that's on scouting and/or development (which in part is on Bergevin)

Time for Bergevin to make some tough choices and let go of some of his staff that he his so loyal to

 

[TopTenPlayz]

Um no, if he could do that day in and day out, he'd be posting 30 assists regularly. He has some hand-eye, but many third liners do show flashes of hands or hand-eye but can never produce at a legitimate top 6 pace.

Never said anything about 30 assists. Just saying that people tend to overlook his skills. The guy is more than a speedster. He's got skills. I think he's proven that the past 2 seasons.

 

[The Great Weal]

4 points in 3 games as a center.

 

[Habs100]

Had 22 goals last year. At this moment, he is on pace for 23. Teams will value a 20+ goal scorer. He offers secondary scoring, he has speed, is excellent on the PK (as special teams are even more important in the playoffs). I can see him getting a 1st. If a team believes they can go deep in the playoffs, they'd be more open to trading their 1st as they will be under the belief it will be a late pick (25th or later).

It makes sense to trade him, since by the time we'll be good he'll be in a decline.

But, he is small. And a lot of teams might hold that against him. Just the way things work.

 

[Habs100]

4 points in 3 games as a center.

I still think Danault and Pacioretty have great chemistry. So, when (if?) Danault comes back later this season, it might be nice to see:

Pacioretty Danault Hudon
Drouin Byron Galchenyuk

I still want to see

Pacioretty Danualt Hudon
Byron Galchenyuk Drouin

 

[Adam Michaels]

It makes sense to trade him, since by the time we'll be good he'll be in a decline.

But, he is small. And a lot of teams might hold that against him. Just the way things work.

If teams hold his size against him, they will be in the minority.

 

[Habs100]

If teams hold his size against him, they will be in the minority.

We'll see. A 20 goal scorer with his speed and versatility, and at his salary, should be worth a lot.

I just think if he were 6'2 he'd be more talked about around the league.

 

[Adam Michaels]

We'll see. A 20 goal scorer with his speed and versatility, and at his salary, should be worth a lot.

I just think if he were 6'2 he'd be more talked about around the league.

If he was 6'2", he wouldn't have been drafted in the 6th round. And I honestly don't think he would have been put on waivers. Nevertheless, you don't need 30 teams to create a bidding war, you only need two. And I'm sure there would be more than two that would be/already are interested in him.

 

[Mrb1p]

Had 22 goals last year. At this moment, he is on pace for 23. Teams will value a 20+ goal scorer. He offers secondary scoring, he has speed, is excellent on the PK (as special teams are even more important in the playoffs). I can see him getting a 1st. If a team believes they can go deep in the playoffs, they'd be more open to trading their 1st as they will be under the belief it will be a late pick (25th or later).

I don't know. He's more likely to get a 2nd rouner like Eaves got last year.

 

[The Great Weal]

Personal opinion, I don't think Bergevin trades him this year.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I don't know. He's more likely to get a 2nd rouner like Eaves got last year.

If it is like Eaves, it would be a conditional 2nd that could become a 1st. I would be good with that.

 

[JianYang]

Agreed. I think many teams would be interested. Byron may not be the best player available at the deadline, but he may be the best 'fit' on many teams (both the player and the contract). Should be plenty of interest in him which may drive up the price.

Even though Byron had 20 plus goals last year, he was still pigeon holed into a 4th line role to start this year, and he had to prove himself down there in order to claw back up into a more rightful role. He's a fighter.

You can put him on any line, and he uses his speed well to create chances, and put pressure on defenders.

The way the game is played today, it makes Byron that much more valuable. Smart teams in contention should be all over him, because he's one of those guys who can pay major dividends, and I don't think it would take alot to get him.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Thankfully GMs can be quite idiotic in this league, so there is hope Byron can indeed by traded.

But if I were calling the shots and I see that statline, Byron is not a guy who should be expected to excel in any top 6 role during the playoffs. He doesn't generate enough shots to make a difference in a role I'm counting on my player to score every game or at least every 3 out of 4 games like true acutal top 6 playoff heroes and even complimentary players like Andrew Shaw or Bryan Bickell could do in the past. That's why he needs to be placed on a 3rd line and be acquired at the price of a 3rd liner. If Montreal doesn't wanna play, fine, keep Byron.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Even though Byron had 20 plus goals last year, he was still pigeon holed into a 4th line role to start this year, and he had to prove himself down there in order to claw back up into a more rightful role. He's a fighter.

You can put him on any line, and he uses his speed well to create chances, and put pressure on defenders.

The way the game is played today, it makes Byron that much more valuable. Smart teams in contention should be all over him, because he's one of those guys who can pay major dividends, and I don't think it would take alot to get him.

Byron usually scores from chaos around the net with some sick hand-eye coordination or the usual cause a breakaway and speed towards the goalie. There are no other dimensions to his goal scoring. He needs elite offensive players around him like Radulov or Pacioretty or the points will not come.

 

[JianYang]

Byron usually scores from chaos around the net with some sick hand-eye coordination or the usual cause a breakaway and speed towards the goalie. There are no other dimensions to his goal scoring. He needs elite offensive players around him like Radulov or Pacioretty or the points will not come.

Pacioretty has been anything but elite this year. And it's not just all about goals for him. He does create turnovers too, which typically create chances for teams on the counter.

He's a prime 3rd line fit on a contender, with the versatility to move up and down the lineup, while playing PK.

If he does end up playing with elite offensive players, it will only give him more chances than he currently gets.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Pacioretty has been anything but elite this year. And it's not just all about goals for him. He does create turnovers too, which typically create chances for teams on the counter.

He's a prime 3rd line fit on a contender, with the versatility to move up and down the lineup, while playing PK.

If he does end up playing with elite offensive players, it will only give him more chances than he currently gets.

Currently, Pacioretty is due to hit 50 points despite being asleep for half of the season. That's one mark of an elite offensive player. They can suck balls on the eye test but still produce at a pace that is deemed respectable. Byron could only dream of having half of Pacioretty's abilities. Regular season Pacioretty can be quite dominant when he feels like it and has elevated forwards from his breakout in 2010-2011 onwards. Gomez, DD, etc. Those guys fell off the cliff once taken away from Max.

Byron's producing with top 6 players like Galchenyuk(involved in 7 Byron's points), Pacioretty(involved in four of Byron's points) and Drouin(five, shared with either Pac or Galchenyuk). He is not the driving force and they will not suffer when he is taken away from them. In fact, Galchenyuk and Drouin deserve upgrades over Byron but the man in charge can't build a top 6 to save his job. Byron is like a poor man's Darren Helm. Speedy and has some puck skills, but never ever consider him a real top 6 player unless the team is fighting for the lottery instead of the Cup.

Byron is already given a top 6 opportunity here. Plant him on the wing of Toews and he will not be much different. His shot totals will not go up and thus the likeliness of him scoring goals even just twice in a playoff series is near nil. He's good for one goal in an entire series on average.

 

[Mrb1p]

Personal opinion, I don't think Bergevin trades him this year.

I'd be fine with that. He's one of the only player that probably has more value to us than to other teams.