The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have placed forward Paul Byron on the injured reserve. In a corresponding move, they have activated forward Andrew Shaw.
Montreal Canadiens Place Paul Byron on Injured Reserve
Byron suffered an arm injury in the second period of Sunday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. He went to the dressing room immediately and did not return.
In 36 games this season, Byron has scored 10 goals and added nine assists for 19 points. Over his career, Byron has scored 80 goals and added 83 assists for 163 points in 399 games.
Byron signed a four-year contract extension worth $13.6 million with the Canadiens on September 23rd. Byron was named the team’s assistant captain on October 1st.
In corresponding news, the club has activated Andrew Shaw from the injured reserve. Shaw has been out since December 31st after he suffered a neck injury against the Dallas Stars. He is expected to line up next to Max Domi and Tomas Tatar on the Canadiens second line.
In 36 games this season, Shaw has scored 11 goals and added 13 assists for 24 points.
Good News/Bad News for the Habs
A bit of good news/bad news for the Habs. The good news is they welcome back the feisty Shaw. Shaw was playing some of his best hockey for the Habs before he got injured. Shaw’s 24 points are just five shy of his 29 points he scored in his first season with the Canadiens. What better time to return than against the Canadiens rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Shaw will take Matthew Peca‘s place in the lineup.
The bad news is Byron’s injury may be more serious than the Habs had first thought. Byron was listed as day-to-day as X-rays came back negative on his arm. Byron was originally expected to miss about a week. However, Byron will need to get in a full practice before returning to the lineup, so it seems the forward will be out a little longer than expected.
The Canadiens will play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Saturday night in what will surely be a huge game for both clubs in terms of positioning. With a win, the Canadiens can jump ahead of the Leafs in the standings. However, the Leafs will still have two games in hand.
