The Montreal Canadiens have announced that forward Paul Byron will miss at least one game due to a lower-body injury. The news dropped just before the team began its game against the Calgary Flames. Jonathan Drouin also missed Saturday night’s game with an illness.
Jonathan Drouin will miss tonight's game due to a non-covid related illness. Paul Byron will also not be in uniform (lower-body, day-to-day). Jake Evans will play and goaltender Cayden Primeau will get the start.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 24, 2021
Canadiens Paul Byron Out Day-To-Day
The 31-year-old Byron has been a steady bottom-six contributor for Montreal in 2020-21. He has four goals and 14 points in 44 games while averaging 12:46 per game. The veteran also has 110 hits and 21 blocks thanks partially to his average penalty-kill time of 1:37, good for fourth among Habs forwards. Byron seems like a limited player on Montreal’s deep roster, but he still brings some small value to a quality roster. There is also a chance he could bounce back in 2021-22 as this was the first year since 2015-16 that Byron’s raw Corsi For dipped below 50 percent.
The Buffalo Sabres originally drafted the 5’9″ Byron in the sixth round of the 2007 Draft. It’s fair to say that given his draft era that Byron has far exceeded expectations. He’s played in 11 seasons through 2020-21 and appeared in 492 career games. He has 93 goals and 199 points, which is good enough to rank 24th from that class. Byron will never be a true star, but he is a perfect complementary piece that might help the Canadiens win a Stanley Cup.
How Montreal Replaces Byron
The Habs inserted Jake Evans into the starting lineup when Byron was initially ruled out. That is something that could continue depending on how long it takes for his lower-body injury to heal. Evans has appeared in 36 games this season with two goals, seven points, and 63 hits. Montreal also deployed seven defencemen, which is something else they could do given their considerable blueline depth. While the team would probably prefer a traditional 12-forward, six defender lineup with Byron, they are capable of handling a brief absence for the moment.
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