Is Paul Byron an NHL player? That is the wrong question. Because saying he isn't good enough for the other 29 teams doesn't mean he isn't good enough for us. He most definitely is good enough for us, at the moment anyway.
Think about what the management are trying to install with the team. A hard working, never give up attitude. Byron epitomises those qualities perfectly. He is the shining example to all the young, less talented players in our system that you don't need a lot of size or(in the nicest possible way) a lot of skill. You simply need to work your ass off every time he goes out on the ice and you will get a shot. You don't put in enough effort and you get benched. It seems to me that expectations of him are too high. Perhaps it was his excellent PPG return last season? I dunno, but we all need to lower out expectations of him. He makes the league minimum, so I'll take a committed game from him and anything above that is a bonus. He makes bad plays on occasion yes, but he's hardly alone in that category. Players making a lot more than him and with a lot more size and skill than him are making just as many mistakes, so to single him out seems bizarre.
As for comparing him to Bollig, there is no comparison. Bollig last season played all 82 regular season games for the Hawks. However, this season he has been scratched several times. Why, because the management don't think he has done well enough to deserve being on the ice. Byron on the other hand has been deemed good enough. As long as Hartley believes Byron deserves a roster spot, I believe he deserves a spot. And I do. However, thats all in the short term.
As we look to move forward, he will probably get pushed off the roster as our forward options improve. That is what it is. But until there is a time where enough players force him off the team through their own good play, I don't think his spot should be in question. He might not be an NHL player according to the other 29 teams, but he is a NHL Flames player and thats good enough for me.
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