With the NHL expansion draft coming up on July 21st, the Montreal Canadiens need to decide who to protect and expose for Vegas. Carey Price and Jeff Petry each have NMCs. This makes them automatically on the Habs protection list. The Habs writers at Last Word on Hockey are writing a series on who to protect and who to expose. The next player on the list is Paul Byron.
Protect or Expose: Paul Byron
Player profile
Name:Paul Byron
Position: Left Wing
Age: 28
Height/Weight: 5’8″ 158 pounds
Cap Hit: $1.166 Million- 2 years
Why Expose him
One of Paul Byron’s biggest criticisms is that he’s only 5’7″ and under 160 pounds. Even with the league modernizing into a faster, more skilled game, many teams are reluctant to employ small players in the NHL. Many NHL scouts, believe that players such as Byron can’t last long in the league. He can be pushed around much easier than most of his teammates.
As of today, Byron is the second smallest player in the NHL (mass wise), after Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau. There is concern that he could be too small to remain effective with the Canadiens. Will Byron’s speed be enough to warrant him a spot with the Canadiens? After all, he did lose his spot in Calgary, which brought the Habs to claim him off waivers.
There is also the fact that he overachieved last season, scoring 22 goals while shooting a 22.9% which is significantly above league average. It is highly unlikely that Byron can shoot that well again.
Byron may also play on the fourth line. The Montreal Canadiens already have Max Pacioretty, Artturi Lehkonen, Alex Galchenyuk and the newly acquired Jonathan Drouin at left wing. Now with how clogged up the left wing position is Byron could even find himself out of the lineup. However, the Canadiens will likely shake things up to fill holes elsewhere but nonetheless Byron is potentially low on the depth chart.
Why Protect him
One of the things that makes Paul Byron is his speed. He is likely the fastest player on the Habs roster. It would be hard to get rid of such a fast player. The Habs clearly lucked out when they picked up Byron off waivers from the Calgary Flames. He has done a great job for the Habs since arriving at the beginning of the 2015-16 season.
In both his seasons with the Canadiens, Byron has exceeded the expectations the Organization had for him. He won the Jacques Beauchamp Trophy in the 2015-16 as the Habs Unsung Hero. Last season, he overachieved by scoring 22 goals. Although, it is unlikely that he scores 22 again. Byron has proven that he can score 12-15 goals on a regular basis for the Habs by using speed. His speed has given him the nickname Paul “Breakaway” Byron.
In a league that is emphasizing speed more than ever, it would be hard to let Byron go. His speed is irreplaceable by anyone on the Canadiens. It proved to be a major part in his team’s success.
Despite that Byron is a bottom six forward, he is still very worthy of a protection. He plays a great two-way game and even makes the Canadiens dangerous offensively at times on the penalty kill. He compliments many players up and down the lineup.
By protecting Byron the Canadiens will be keeping a reliable forward that can keep up to play anywhere in the lineup. His contract at a $1.16 million cap hit for the next two years is also a bargain.
The Verdict
The Montreal Canadiens must protect Paul Byron. Despite his small stature, he has a lot to bring to the table when it comes to helping the team. His $1.166 Million cap hit, makes him a very cheap option for secondary scoring.
His ability to play a two-way game puts pressure off some of the more skilled forwards on the team. He is a player that everybody enjoys having as he makes the team better but doing the little things right as well.
While he may not score 20 goals again, he will provide around 15 goals while playing third or fourth line minutes. Therefore it’s an easy decision to protect him.
Protected List 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, 1 goalie:
G: Carey Price (NMC)
D1: Jeff Petry (NMC)
D2: Shea Weber
D3:
F1: Max Pacioretty
F2: Brendan Gallagher
F3: Alex Galchenyuk
F4: Phillip Danault
F5: Jonathan Drouin
F6: Paul Byron
F7:
Expose:
Tomas Plekanec
Andrew Shaw
Alexei Emelin
Al Montoya
Main Photo: MONTREAL, QC – MARCH 02: Paul Byron #41 of the Montreal Canadiens skates the puck past Matt Irwin #52 of the Nashville Predators and ended up scoring the game-winning goal on goaltender Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators late in the third period during the NHL match at the Bell Centre on March 2, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Nashville Predators 2-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
