HabsWorld.net --
There will be one less rental player on the market for the Habs come Monday’s trade deadline as on Tuesday night, the team signed forward Paul Byron to a three year, $3.5 million extension.
Byron joined the Habs via the waiver wire in early October. He was added into the roster spot that was opened up by Zack Kassian entering Stage 2 of the NHL’s SABH program. While he was a healthy scratch for the first few games, it didn’t take too long before Byron made his mark in the lineup.
As one of the fastest players in the NHL, Byron has carved out a niche for himself as one of the more dangerous threats on the penalty kill. Three of his eight goals have come while shorthanded while his five points in that situation ties him for second most in the league with Jamie Benn, Jonathan Toews, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
For the season, the 5’8 forward has eight goals and three assists in 40 games to go along with a -2 rating and only four penalty minutes while averaging 13:11 of ice time per game. Byron also leads all Montreal forwards in hits per game with 2.1.
The deal represents some long-term stability for Byron, something he hasn’t had much of in his career. He’s currently playing on his third straight one year deal, one that is paying him $900,000. His new cap hit starting next season will be just under $1.17 million.
The breakdown of the contract is as follows:
2016-17: $1.3 million
2017-18: $1.2 million
2018-19: $1.0 million
Byron’s Stats:
